MOSCOW, November 11 (RAPSI) – The Russian Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to review an appeal filed by the Consumer Rights Protection Association against the presidential executive order on economic measures to ensure security of the Russian Federation and a government resolution on destroying banned food imports, RAPSI reports from the courtroom.

The court thus closed the case.

Lawyer Mikhail Barshchevsky has filed a motion to dismiss the case because the Consumer Rights Protection Association is an incompetent applicant. The Prosecutor General’s Office supported the motion. Representatives of the association failed to appear in court without giving any reason.

The government has approved the procedure for destroying banned products in late July. The goods may be destroyed by any legal means that do not violate environmental regulations. The confiscated food will be eliminated regardless of whether the owner or import organizer is known. The presidential executive order validating the decision came into effect on August 6 and is mandatory.

Representatives of the association insisted that, based on Russia’s food security doctrine, “sale of quality and safe agricultural produce, raw products and food to customers regardless of their country of origin does not pose a risk or threat to Russia’s food security.” The association also referred to the law on quality and safety of food products that contains a mandatory criterion for elimination, which is low quality and danger of the product.

The association also claimed that the executive order and the resolution violate the rights of an unspecified category of consumers established by the WTO Agreement on Safeguards and refers to Article 35 of the Constitution, according to which nobody can be deprived of their property without a court ruling.

In response to opponents of destroying banned food imports, representatives of the Russian government stressed that it is potentially dangerous to consumers. Minister of Agriculture Alexander Tkachyov noted that the issue in question is smuggling of products of questionable quality that may pose a risk to public health. Anna Popova, Head of the Federal Service for Consumer Rights’ Protection, stressed that the banned imported products contain unreliable data on their quality, origin and safety by default.