UK, Ukraine and Latvia sign deal to extend grain-tracing scheme against Russian theft of Ukrainian grain

The United Kingdom, Ukraine and Latvia have signed a memorandum of understanding that brings Latvia into the Grain Verification Scheme, a tool for tracing Ukrainian grain stolen from Russian-occupied territory, the UK government announced on 26 October. Trade Minister Baroness Hayman signed the document this week with her Ukrainian and Latvian counterparts.

How the scheme works

The scheme was developed by the UK on behalf of the G7 after Ukraine’s agrarian policy and food minister asked for help in tracing grain taken from areas under Russian control and sold on international markets. According to the UK government, it combines physical grain samples with machine learning and established laboratory techniques, including stable isotope ratio and trace element analysis, to build a chemical “fingerprint” of a sample. That fingerprint is compared with a reference database of nearly 3,400 geolocated points across Ukraine and neighbouring countries, which allows an assessment of where the grain probably grew.

Latvia joins Lithuania and Ukraine

Until now only Lithuania and Ukraine have used the scheme, under a first memorandum signed in January 2025. It was handed over to the two countries in March 2025. The UK says Lithuania has since set up a legal framework for sampling and testing relevant consignments and its authorities are now collecting and analysing samples. Latvia’s entry widens the network of countries able to use the tool and, in the government’s words, strengthens Baltic cooperation.

The extension comes as Ukraine asks European partners on the Baltic Sea to stop grain of Russian origin from passing through Baltic ports, while legitimate Ukrainian exports through the Black Sea remain disrupted, the UK statement says. Our earlier coverage of shipping on that route includes: EU calls for Black Sea grain arrangement and pause in attacks.

What happens next

London says it will keep working with Ukraine and Latvia on the scheme’s future development and use. The statement does not say when Latvian authorities will begin testing consignments, and it gives no figures for the quantity of grain affected. Baroness Hayman said that the UK “continues to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine” and that extending the scheme to Latvia widens “the net against those profiting from stolen Ukrainian grain.” Russia has not commented in the UK release.