Russia to Admit Two Georgian Dairy Producers From November

Two Georgian dairy processing enterprises will gain access to the Russian market from November 2026, Russia's veterinary and phytosanitary regulator Rosselkhoznadzor said on 22 October after talks with Georgia's National Food Agency in Tbilisi. Rosselkhoznadzor has asked the competent authorities of the Eurasian Economic Union to approve adding the two companies to the register of third-country enterprises, based on Georgia's guarantees that their products meet EAEU requirements.

The regulator also said it is ready to inspect six Georgian fish and seafood producers that want to supply Russia. If the inspections find no violations, their products may be imported. The talks took place on the sidelines of a regional seminar of the World Organisation for Animal Health on veterinary product regulation, held in Tbilisi from 20 to 22 October.

Conditions still apply

The access is not yet final. The dairy approval depends on the EAEU decision, and the fish producers depend on inspections taking place on schedule. Neither Rosselkhoznadzor nor Georgia Today's report named the two dairy companies. News Georgia noted that, as of its report, the National Food Agency had not published information about the talks.

Rosselkhoznadzor's statement also gave trade data. According to its VetIS system, exports of live pigs from Russia to Georgia rose 26% to 180.1 thousand head as of 16 October, and dairy shipments to Georgia totalled 6.4 thousand tonnes, the same as a year earlier. In the other direction, it listed rising Georgian fruit supplies to Russia: nectarines up 7.5% to 17.8 thousand tonnes, apples up 24.5% to 15 thousand tonnes, blueberries up 46.7% to 9.5 thousand tonnes and mandarins up 57.2% to 3.3 thousand tonnes. Georgia is also buying Russian animal disease vaccines, with a delivery planned for the first quarter of 2027.

A mixed signal on trade

The opening comes less than two weeks after Russia's consumer regulator Rospotrebnadzor imposed temporary restrictions on several Georgian drinks brands on 9 October, citing non-compliance with organoleptic and physico-chemical indicators, News Georgia reported. The brands named include the wine producers Teliani Valley, Tbilvino, Wineman and Askaneli Brothers, the Georgian Beer Company, Georgian Coca-Cola and Nabeghlavi mineral water. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said the government was looking into the situation and expected the restrictions to be reviewed. CBJ covered the suspension of imports from seven Georgian firms at the time.

News Georgia put Georgia's agricultural exports at $1.3 billion for January to August, with Russia the largest buyer, and said Russia takes 63.4% of Georgian wine exports and 84.1% of mineral water exports. That dependence is why a restriction on drinks matters far more to Georgian exporters than two dairy licences.

What it means for business

For Georgian food processors, the message from Moscow is that market access is being handled company by company, through registers and inspections, and can be granted or withdrawn at that level. Two dairy approvals and six fish inspections are small in volume, but they show a channel for new product categories at the same time as established brands face restrictions. For the two dairy companies, the immediate test is whether the EAEU register listing comes through in time for shipments in November.

For the wider region, the episode shows how far Russian veterinary and consumer regulators shape trade flows. Armenia, after Rosselkhoznadzor restrictions on its fish, has opened the Georgian market for Armenian fish products, a reminder that a decision in Moscow can redirect exports across the South Caucasus within weeks.