Russia bans all food imports from Australia: Government will decide today whether to impose more sanctions
- From: The Daily Telegraph
- August 08, 2014
The federal government says it’s disappointed by an announcement of Russian trade sanctions on Australia
- Russia bans Australian food exports for one year
- Bans in response to sanctions against Russia over Ukraine conflict
- Western airlines flying over Russian airspace could be banned next
- Federal government and opposition pledge bipartisan response
- Debate rages over whether Russian President Vladimir Putin should be excluded from Brisbane G20 Summit
AUSTRALIA’S relationship with Russia is on the brink of complete breakdown after the renegade nation last night banned all food imports from Australia.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott will today decide whether to invoke further sanctions against Russia and consider a push to ban President Vladimir Putin from the G20 Summit — to be held in Brisbane in November — after the decision.
Mr Putin ordered his Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to impose the ban on the US, European Union and their allies in response to tough sanctions imposed on them in the wake of the Ukraine conflict.
It is believed a ban on Western airlines flying over Russian airspace on routes to and from Asia will be enacted in the coming weeks.
Cold shoulder: Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s relationship just got a little icier. Picture: AP Source: AP
Mr Abbott had been careful not to follow the US in imposing tough sanctions because he wanted to work with Russia in a bid to bring home the bodies from the MH17 disaster.
Australia had placed about 50 sanctions against Russia, but they were not as tough as those by America and Europe.
Despite the softer stance Mr Medvedev said Australia would be included in the ban for a year. “Russia is introducing a full embargo on import of beef, pork, fruit and vegetable produce, poultry, fish, cheese, milk and dairy products from the European Union, United States, Australia, Canada and Norway,” he said.
Russia had already suspended the importation of Australian beef.
A spokeswoman for Mr Abbott said the government would consider Russia’s statements and its implications before making a decision.
A spokesman for Trade Minister Andrew Robb confirmed Russia imported about $400 million worth of products from Australia a year. He said Mr Robb would consider the ban with Mr Abbott today.
Russian Premier Dmitry Medvedev announces the sanctions at the cabinet meeting in Moscow. Picture: AP Photo/RIA Novosti Source: AP
BBC News reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin has banned or curbed agricultural imports from countries imposing sanctions on Russia over the crisis in Ukraine, on USA, Europe, Canada, and Australia.
In a decree, he ordered the measures, which also apply to food imports, to be introduced for one year.
Government departments were instructed to come up with a list of products subject to the order.
Australia’s Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce admits the year-long ban will hurt farmers but the government will try to minimise the impact. “I know this is something that’s going to cause hardship in the country for rural producers,” he told ABC radio on Friday.
“But we will try and work around it and find alternate markets.” The government was not ruling out financial assistance for affected producers.
“I would hope we’re able to manage it without assistance,” Mr Joyce said.
The minister said it was important to keep all lines of contact open and cancelling Mr Putin’s invitation to the G20 would not help matters.
“You can’t resolve an issue with someone you’re not talking to.”
Labor today joined the Abbott government in criticising Russia’s decision to impose sanctions on Australia and other countries who oppose Moscow’s support of rebels in Ukraine.
The year-long ban will hurt farmers but the government will try to minimise the impact, Barnaby Joyce says. Source: News Corp Australia
But foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek says it doesn’t mean Russian president Vladimir Putin should be banned from the G20 leaders meeting in Brisbane in November.
“Sometimes the best way to do that is to have someone in the room to say it to their face,” she told the Nine Network on Friday.
Ms Plibersek said it was important for the world community to tell Russia its support of rebels in eastern Ukraine was unacceptable, even though Australia hadn’t imposed a second round of sanctions against Russia.
“It’s a punishing of our primary production sector and farmers at a time when it seems the Russians have backed separatists and armed them, and those armed separatists have shot down a plane with Australians on it,” she said.
“It’s extraordinary behaviour.”
Cabinet minister Malcolm Turnbull said it was important the world stand up to Russia.
“Putin is reacting against the firm response from the rest of the world and his country, his citizens will lose out of this,” he told Nine.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on Thursday night said it was disappointing that Russia had retaliated rather than adhere to international concern and stop the flow of weapons to Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine.
“Sick in the guts”… That’s how Bill Shorten feels about the Russian embargo. Source: Getty Images
Labor leader Bill Shorten said Russia’s latest sanctions imposed on Australia made him “sick in the guts” and he offered a bipartisan approach to the response.
“Do you want to know what I think? Who are they to put sanctions on us?” Mr Shorten told a business summit in Melbourne on Friday.
“They don’t have the … moral authority to do that in the light of what’s happened.
“I think that for the Russians to be talking about sanctions against us makes me sick in the guts.”
The National Farmers Federation said it would now rely on the government’s trade agreements with Asian nations, and pending deal with China, to minimise the impact on farmers.
Farmers are concerned about the 12-month time frame of the ban and the impact on global prices for agricultural goods.
It is believed Russia’s decision could be investigated by the World Trade Organisation.
Last night it was not known what impact the bans would have on the MH17 mission.
Mr Medvedev said closing Russian airspace was a “serious measure” being considered.
The nation’s low-cost airline was forced to close because of US sanctions.
Mr Putin’s decision will harm his people. Australia imports minimal products from Russia but they rely heavily on fresh food from Western nations such as Australia.
Western leaders were last night surprised by the move.
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Coercion Code - "Dark Times are upon us" 
what makes me laugh is all of these pollies from around the world, are all on the same side. the side of the illuminati. So when they come against one another, and bag each other in speeches, and ban this and that, and do all they do in the way of sanctions, its all just illuminati propaganda. But as the bible does say a house divided against itself cant stand. Hence why the illuminati implodes at the end 🙂