FOOD NEWS

EU compensates fruit and veg growers hit by Russian ban

The European Commission has announced emergency EU funding of 125m euros (£100m; $170m) for fruit and vegetable growers hit by Russia's ban on most imported Western food.

 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28834170

The funding is compensation for fresh produce which will not be sold. Instead it will be distributed free to schools, hospitals and other institutions.
 
Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, grapes and pears are included in the scheme.


 
Russia has banned many food imports, angry at EU-US sanctions over Ukraine.

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted on Monday that the EU sanctions must stay in place "in order to show how serious we are" on the Ukraine crisis.
 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28834170
She was speaking in Latvia, an EU member state with a large ethnic Russian minority. Its Baltic neighbour Lithuania is especially hard hit by the Russian import ban
 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28834170