UK steps up crackdown on grain stolen from Ukrainian farmland
The UK is expanding efforts to trace grain allegedly stolen from Russian-occupied Ukrainian farmland, with Latvia joining a scientific verification scheme designed to identify where crops were grown.
A new agreement between the UK, Ukraine and Latvia will extend access to the Grain Verification Scheme, which combines chemical testing and machine learning to investigate the origins of grain shipments.
The technology uses a database of nearly 3,400 geographical reference points across Ukraine and neighbouring countries, helping authorities establish whether grain may have originated from occupied Ukrainian territory.
Announced by Defra on Monday (26 October), the expansion comes as Ukraine seeks greater cooperation from Baltic countries to tackle suspected grain theft and protect legitimate agricultural trade.
The scale of the problem has previously prompted international concern, with the UK government citing estimates in February 2025 that Russia was taking around 4.3 million tonnes of grain annually from occupied Ukrainian territories.
Grain taken from occupied farmland represents a potential loss of income for Ukrainian producers, while its movement through international markets raises concerns about traceability, ownership and legitimate agricultural trade.
Ukraine is seeking support from European partners to prevent suspicious grain shipments passing through Baltic ports, while legitimate exports continue to face disruption through the Black Sea.
Baroness Hayman of Ullock signed the latest agreement with representatives from Ukraine and Latvia, extending the initiative beyond its existing partners.
“By extending the Grain Verification Scheme to Latvia, we are widening the net against those profiting from stolen Ukrainian grain and helping to protect the integrity of global food markets,” she said.
The scheme was originally developed by the UK on behalf of the G7 after Ukraine requested international assistance in tracing grain taken from territories under Russian control.
It uses established scientific techniques, including stable isotope ratio analysis and trace element testing, to examine the chemical characteristics of grain samples.
These results are combined with machine learning to create a chemical fingerprint, which can be compared against reference samples from known locations.
The process allows investigators to assess the likely geographical origin of grain, potentially helping identify consignments linked to occupied Ukrainian farmland.
However, scientific testing cannot independently prove that grain has been stolen, meaning authorities must consider the findings alongside other evidence.
Lithuania has already begun putting the technology into practice after gaining access to the scheme alongside Ukraine in March 2025.
The country has established a legal framework for sampling and testing relevant grain consignments, with authorities now collecting and analysing samples.
Latvia's participation will extend the scheme across more Baltic trade routes, giving authorities another tool to investigate grain shipments potentially originating from occupied Ukrainian farmland.
The UK said it would continue working with Ukraine and Latvia to develop the technology, although identifying a shipment's geographical origin alone cannot establish whether the grain was stolen.