A group of center-left Russian politicians has submitted a bill to end the country's embargo on food imports from the European Union, Norway, the U.S., Canada and Australia.

Website Rt.com reported the authors of the motion were four lawmakers from the party A Just Russia, while the fifth sponsor was MP Dmitry Gudkov; an independent who was expelled from the part in 2013 for taking part in anti-government street protests.

The story reported an explanatory note on the Lower House's website alleged the ban on foreign-made foodstuffs contradicted article 34 of the Russian Constitution, which guarantees citizens the right to use their own capabilities and property in entrepreneurial activities.

"The ban on imports of good quality foodstuffs that are safe for the citizens’ health has led to a limitation of the constitutional right of Russian businesses for economic activity, because many companies do not possess an economically feasible alternative for materials that their technological cycles are based on," RT quoted the document as saying.

The story reported the Lower House committee for Economic Policy would not support the motion, according to deputy chairman MP Anatoly Karpov from President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party.

"This is the government's sphere, not the legislative bodies. I see no legislative basis here and the State Duma has no powers to detail such laws," Karpov told TASS news agency.

"The Ministry of Agriculture and the government have said that there would be no deficit and in most positions everything is all right," Karpov was quoted as saying.

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