In response to the Russian sanctions announced yesterday, an HMG Spokesperson said:

There are no grounds for Russia to impose these sanctions.

We have been pushing for a strong and determined international response to Russia’s unacceptable behaviour in Ukraine. We have been clear that we are prepared to play our part and that there will be costs, but this does not diminish our commitment.

Instead of retaliating, Russia should be using its influence with the violent Russian-backed separatists to stop destabilising Ukraine.

We are still considering the impacts of the ban but we do not expect it to have a significant overall effect on our agricultural industry – the affected agricultural exports to Russia account for some 0.2% of our food, feed and drink total agricultural exports.

We will continue to work closely with trade associations and industry to help them monitor the impact of this ban on their business.