January 20, 2014

 

 

Following the detection in shipments of a growth stimulant it prohibits and throwing into doubt exports that brought in around AUD10 million (US$8.81 million) last year for Australia, Russia is temporarily banning the import of Australian beef by-products.

 

The ban will be imposed from January 27 and was prompted by the detection of the growth stimulant in several shipments, Russia's Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance Service said in a statement. It was not immediately clear when the ban will be reviewed.

 

"The suspension has been put in place following the detection of residues of the hormonal growth promotant Trenbolone in a small number of export consignments," a spokesman for the Australian Department of Agriculture said.

 

Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States prohibit the presence of Trenbolone in beef imports despite permission of the promotant by most countries.

 

The spokesman said that Australia's agriculture department has reiterated Russia's requirements to meat exporters and moved to strengthen its certification requirements for products exported to Russia.

 

Russia imported 12,435 tonnes of beef offal from Australia worth AUD10.5 million (US$9.2 million) in January to November of 2013, according to industry data.

 

Industry body Meat and Livestock Australia said the Russian market was worth about 10% of annual Australian beef offal exports.

 

According to the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, Trenbolone is approved for use in Canada and the US, but Canada has shipped virtually no beef to Russia since Russia last year banned beef produced with the growth stimulant ractopamine. The ban also affected US beef.

 

Because of the Russian ban on US beef, the use of Trenbolone is a non-issue but could indirectly affect US beef sales efforts to other counties, said Livestock Marketing Information director Jim Robb. "Australia will likely need to redirect their exports in the short term to other countries where the US currently competes," he said.

 

Australia is the world's third-largest beef exporter after the US and Brazil. More than 30 Australian firms are currently allowed to supply beef and by-products to Russia.

 

Trenbolone has not been allowed for the purpose of enhancing growth in animals in Brazil since 2011, a spokeswoman at Brazil's agriculture ministry said.