March 2, 2007

EU sends veterinarians to Russia to discuss Polish beef ban
 

European Union veterinarians will travel to Russia soon in an effort to end the country's ban on Polish meat imports, the European Commission said.

The Russian authorities sent an invitation on February 26, EU commission spokesman Philip Tod said.

The EU has accepted the invitation, he said, adding it is a positive step in the process.

The beef spat has become a major irritant in European-Russian relations. Poland is refusing to give the European Commission a mandate to negotiate a new partnership accord with Moscow until the issue is resolved. Russia claims Polish meat is unsanitary.

EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou met in January with Russian Agriculture Minister Alexei Gordeyev in Berlin.  The two men agreed to study the sanitary conditions of Polish slaughterhouses and try to resolve the issue.

Since then, Russian and E.U. experts have visited Polish slaughterhouses. The E.U. says its inspectors found all was in order. But Tod said Russian inspectors haven't yet disclosed their findings.