According to the Agency, on the territory of Belarus in 2017 was established quarantine phytosanitary zone of the missing on the territory of countries – members of the Eurasian economic Union quarantine object – Western corn beetle, or diabrotika beetle. The Rosselkhoznadzor received this information in July 2018.

As explained by the service, the potential harmfulness of the beetle on the territory of Russia is possible in the area of sustainable cultivation of corn, the crops which are mainly in the southern Federal district.

According to authorities, the economic damage from the loss of the corn crop may reach 950 million rubles a year. The introduction of the beetle on the territory of Russia is possible by land transport, with the products, containers and packaging. The Rosselkhoznadzor sent the Belarusian side, the appeal to the need to provide on the import into the Russian Federation phytosanitary safety of products imported from the territory of Belarus.

"If the Belarusian side effective phytosanitary measures, the Rosselkhoznadzor reserves the right to impose temporary restrictions on products, vehicles, packaging and containers from the territory of Belarus or the following through its territory to Russia", — stated in the message.

Grain deliveries from Belarus to Russia is extremely small. According to the Federal customs service (FCS) of the Russian Federation, supplies of wheat and meslin from Belarus to Russia in 2017 amounted to 244 tons (0,09% of the total import volume), rye — 49 tons (7.7% of the total volume), barley — 137 tons (0.08 percent), oats and 4 tons (0.07 percent), corn — 33 tons (about 0.06%), rice — 37 tons (0,015%).

Diabrotica beetle feed exclusively on corn. Adults damage the leaves and grains of her young ears. In addition, both the beetles and larvae are carriers of pathogens of a number of fungal, bacterial and viral diseases of corn. Home to the beetle diabrotica is North America, where the cost of pest control each year is about 1 billion dollars. In 2009, Western corn rootworm was first recorded on the territory of Belarus.