Russia to cut US poultry imports by 25%

Russia plans to cut US poultry imports by 25% and that it will get other countries to fill in the remaining supply needed.

Russia, a major poultry importer, banned all chlorine-treated poultry imports starting January 1, outlawing the 600,000 tonnes of poultry allowed from the US under revised quotas. Farmers in the US accounted for 20% of the 3.5 million tonnes of poultry Russia consumed last year. Since the ban, talks on lifting it have been stop-start.

A statement posted on the Industry and Trade Ministry's website late Wednesday (June 2) says suppliers from any other nation will be allowed to provide the 150,000 tonnes of poultry this year that the US would have supplied.