Lithuania will inspect and laboratory-test every shipment of Russian and Belarusian food-grade wheat, barley, corn and sunflower seed reloaded or stored in the country starting Nov. 16, holding the cargo from customs clearance until its origin is confirmed.
Lithuania's State Food and Veterinary Service (VMVT) announced the procedure Tuesday in a release published by the Ministry of Agriculture. The rules cover grain from countries the Lithuanian government has declared untrustworthy when the cargo is reloaded, such as at a port, or held in customs-supervised warehouses. Until now, Lithuania's transit origin checks applied only to grain intended for feed.
The mechanics put the burden on shippers. Carriers must notify VMVT about each railcar no earlier than 24 hours and no later than four hours before it reaches the border control post. Each notice must include a certificate of origin, an invoice, a transport document and proof the state fee has been paid. Shipments declared as Ukrainian must also carry documents proving the grain was lawfully acquired.
Unloading may happen only with a VMVT officer present, and the officer will take a sample from every shipment for origin testing. Customs will complete clearance only after VMVT grants permission. The agency said lab testing may take two months or longer and that businesses should factor that into logistics planning. Other paperwork deficiencies must be fixed within three working days.
If tests show a more than 50% probability that the grain's origin does not match its documents, the shipment will be returned to the country of dispatch or destroyed under customs supervision. If the shipment cannot be physically separated from other grain, the decision applies to all shipments stored with it. The operator responsible for the cargo pays the state fee and the costs of testing, return or destruction.
VMVT said the goal is to catch gaps between documented and actual origin, prevent origin fraud and keep grain illegally removed from occupied Ukrainian territories off international markets. VMVT head Audronė Mikalauskienė said the shippers' cost burden should give companies another reason to stop working with untrustworthy countries.
"We will inspect, prove and stop as much as needed so that grain of illegal origin does not enter the international market," Mikalauskienė said.
Agriculture Minister Kęstutis Mažeika said the procedure will make Lithuania and the Port of Klaipėda a less attractive transit route for Russian grain. He also called on other European Union (EU) member states to take similar steps so EU transport and port infrastructure is not used for Russian grain exports that generate revenue for Russia's war economy.
The ministry also updated rules for feed grain, which have been subject to origin testing since May 1, 2025. Feed shipments of corn, wheat, barley and sunflower seed from the same countries will be released to their destination only after a lab confirms their origin matches the accompanying documents. The release does not list the state fee or name the laboratories that will run the tests.
