May 8, 2008

EU urges Russia to lift ban on meat imports
 

The European Commission has urged Russia to lift bans on imported meat from large companies in seven member states, saying that EU meat are safe for consumption.

Marc Franco, the EU ambassador to Russia, said the latest import bans are 'disproportionate' as EU meat is safe. This new dispute could hinder a new EU-Russia pact and even obstruct Russia's WTO membership bid.

Russia has introduced a series of company-specific bans on pork, beef and poultry imports in the past few weeks after determining that antibiotic levels in the meat shipments exceeded safe limits.

However, Franco said the antibiotic residues reported by Russia are mostly below the maximum residue levels allowed in EU legislation and in the international standard of codex alimentarius, therefore the EU is urging Russia to review its ban.

"The limits were introduced in those cases where problems arose and their time period will depend on these problems being solved," said Alexei Alexeyenko, spokesman for Russian animal and plant health watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor.

The ban has affected meat firms in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Belgium and Hungary. Russia has also banned imports from companies in the US, Canada, Brazil and Argentina for an indefinite period of time.

Russian officials are supporting the bans in a move to support domestic producers. Despite so, red meat import volumes rose 22 percent in the first quarter of 2008, up 27 percent on-year in value to US$770 million.