US sees pork shipments to Russia within a week

The first shipments of US pork to Russia since a trade agreement was reached earlier this month should be shipped within a week's time, USDA secretary Tom Vilsack said Tuesday (March 16).

USDA officials confirmed on March 5 that US and Russian negotiators agreed to new rules for US pork exporters that wanted to sell products to Russian buyers. Those new rules require US exporters to show that their meat is free of antibiotics that Russia has prohibited.

A list of US pork production plants now eligible to ship to Russia, last updated by USDA on March 12, contains 10 facilities owned by Smithfield Foods Inc., Tyson Foods Inc., John Morrell & Co., Farmland Foods, Inc. and Seaboard Foods. John Morrell and Farmland Foods are Smithfield brands.

Nick Giordano, vice president and counsel for international affairs with the National Pork Producers Council, predicted that US exporters will be able to fill the 50,000-tonne quota set for them in 2010 by Russia. He said additional US pork may be shipped as well at a 75% tariff rate.