Ukraine, UK, Lithuania Launch System to Detect Grain Stolen by Russia in Occupied Territories

The Ministers of Agriculture of Ukraine, the United Kingdom and Lithuania have signed an updated Memorandum on the launch of the Grain Verification Scheme (GVS), aimed at combating the illegal export of Ukrainian grain from the temporarily occupied territories. This was announced on social media by Vitaliy Koval, Minister of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine.

‘The Memorandum on the launch of the unique GVS system to combat the illegal export of Ukrainian grain from the occupied territories is the first step at the ministerial level in the implementation of the strategic agreement between Ukraine and the UK, which will form the basis of our cooperation for the next hundred years,’ Koval said.

A pilot launch of the GVS system is planned in Lithuania, where the port of Klaipeda will become the main hub for verifying the origin of Ukrainian agricultural products.

The Ministry of Agrarian Policy emphasised that GVS will help identify stolen grain and prevent its illegal transportation. The UK is providing this initiative with technologies and databases that allow to determine the place of grain cultivation and harvesting.

The idea of implementing the GVS system has been discussed since the summer of 2024, when it became known that Ukraine, Lithuania and the UK were working together to create a mechanism to identify the origin of grain supplied by Russia to world markets.

At the end of November 2024, Norway announced an additional NOK 50 million (approximately $4.5 million) to support the Grain from Ukraine initiative. This programme plays an important role in the fight against hunger in the Middle East and Africa.