A decree of the Czech government will impose new administrative transactions to fresh fruit and vegetable importers. A similar measure had already been introduced for imported meat and meat products.
"These additional formalities may hinder the export of Polish food," states Andrzej Gantner, CEO of the Polish Federation of Food Producers, although Polish food currently accounts for 10 percent of all Czech consumption.
"As pointed out, the regulation applies to all EU countries, but Poland is the largest exporter to the Czech Republic, so it will hit our producers.
Czech importers will be required to fill in extra forms 24 hours prior to the entry of goods into the Czech Republic."
He believes that these measures will discourage Czech importers to buy in Poland and to supply their products on the Czech market. There are also fears about economic barriers being imposed by Poland's southern neighbours.
"For now, in any case, our agro-food exports to the Czech Republic are still growing. In 2015, their value increased by 18 percent, reaching over 1.6 billion Euro," he concluded.
