Ukraine, Britain, Lithuania launch system to detect grain stolen by Russia

The agriculture ministries of Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and Lithuania have signed an updated Memorandum to launch the Grain Verification Scheme (GVS), aimed at combating the illegal export of Ukrainian grain from occupied territories, as reported by Agriculture Minister Vitaly Koval.

The launch of GVS marks the first step in implementing the strategic agreement on century-long cooperation between Ukraine and the United Kingdom, signed last week.

The pilot launch of the system will take place in Lithuania, specifically in the port of Klaipeda, which will serve as a key hub for verifying the origin of Ukrainian agricultural products.

GVS will enable the identification of stolen grain and halt its illegal transportation. The UK will provide a database and technologies to determine the origin and harvesting location of the grain.

Ukraine and the UK began developing the system to combat the illegal export of Ukrainian grain in 2022. Lithuania joined the efforts at an early stage and agreed to implement the identification system in its ports to prevent the transshipment of Ukrainian grain stolen by Russia.

Towards the end of last year, the first version of GVS was signed, confirming Lithuania’s intention to implement grain verification in its ports.

On October 21, 2024, the Office of the Prosecutor General reported that, according to preliminary estimates, Russia has stolen Ukrainian grain worth 30 billion hryvnias ($710 million).

Tags: illegal export, Ukraine, Russia, grain, United Kingdom, Lithuania, Grain Verification Scheme