April 14, 2009
Russia defends US pork stance
A Russian spokesperson indicated that US pork is not as safe as claimed, following the NPPC's letter to the US President requesting to slow Russia's WTO accession process.
The US National Pork Producers Council complained that Russia has removed over 30 US companies from the exporters' list citing that 50 percent of US pork did not match Russian sanitary standards.
NPPC President Don Butler also said Russia should accept the US food inspection system is as good as its own system.
But Alexei Alexeyenko, spokesman for the Russian veterinary watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor, said US food safety standards were far more lenient than those in Russia.
US pork producers do not want to admit Russian inspectors because they do all the checking themselves, Alexeyenko added.
US pork exports to Russia have surged 560 percent from 2005 to US$476 million last year, said the NPPC.
Russia was the fifth-largest market for US pork late last year.
