January 24, 2006

Russian ban to hurt Ukraine's meat and dairy industries

Ukraine's meat and dairy industries expect to incur considerable losses from Russia's ban on meat and dairy imports, officials said Monday.

Russia imposed a temporary ban effective Dec 30 on all meat imports which pass through Ukraine due to breaches of health and safety procedures.

The chairman of the Ukrainian union of dairy enterprises, Vadim Chagarovsky, told reporters Ukraine exported dairy products worth US$650 million in 2005, with 60 percent of the total going to Russia. He said the Ukrainian dairy industry's losses would amount to US$50-60 million a month if Russia's ban continued.

The general director of the meat producers association, Viktor Pismak, said the total worth of Ukraine's 2005 meat exports to Russia was US$170 million, and losses from the Russian ban would amount to US$12-15 million a month.

A Ukrainian government delegation is travelling to Moscow Monday in an effort to persuade Russian authorities to lift the ban.