Thailand ready to replace US as poultry supplier to Russia

US poultry is now on the sidelines due to new Russian regulations, and Thailand is prepared to fill in the gaps in supply in Russia.

Sergei Dankvert, head of Russia's farm watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor, held talks on Wednesday (Jan 20) with Thai Charge d'Affaires in Russia Sompong Sanguabun to discuss poultry supplies.

The Thai side said it was sincerely interested in starting large-scale poultry supplies to the Russian market and guaranteed strict compliance with Russian veterinary and sanitary standards, Rosselkhoznadzor said on its website.

Russia imposed a ban on the import and sale of chlorine-treated poultry as of January 1, citing new safety requirements. The change in regulations primarily affects US imports. The US

Russia's quota for the US this year is 600,000 tonnes of poultry. US poultry imports accounted for 22% or 750,000 tonnes of poultry consumed in Russia last year.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said if US producers were unwilling or unable to meet Russian health requirements, the country would find new suppliers and further develop the domestic poultry sector.

With the US holding the lion share of the Russian poultry market, the total loss of this market would mean a significant benefit for other poultry exporting countries that meet or are able to comply with the new Russian standards.

About 90% of Russian companies complied with the new rules, officials said. US officials and producers, however, protested that the requirements would force American poultry producers to completely overhaul their sanitation systems.