As part of the EU sanctions against Russia, the import of luxury foods such as vodka and caviar was also banned. In this country, however, people do not want to do without completely – caviar in particular is now increasingly reaching Austria illegally.
The number of caviar seizures in Austria is exploding, as the Ministry of Finance explained on Thursday: In the years between 2015 and 2020, the number of seizures was between five and nine kilograms per year, in 2021 it was already 12.9 kilograms.
In 2022 there was finally “a depressing record of 15.1 kg”, according to a broadcast on Thursday. Nine kilos were seized in the first half of 2023.
Good flight connections to the east make it possible
“The development of illegal caviar smuggling is extremely worrying and a disaster for our ecosystem,” said Finance Minister Magnus Brunner (ÖVP). In recent years, Austria has usually been among the frontrunners in the EU when it comes to caviar catches.
This is mainly due to the good flight connections to the East (including Russia). But caviar also comes from countries like Iran. As part of its broad responsibilities, Customs also enforces species protection laws to protect wildlife species.
Source: Krone
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