June 9, 2011

Brazil negotiates meat export ban with Russia 

Business leaders from Brazil's meat processing industry met with top federal officials on Monday (Jun 6) to encourage the government to amend the tone of negotiations with Russia to prevent a trade embargo from being imposed on 85 Brazilian plants before it begins on June 16, according to the media.

Top executives from Brazil's meat processing industry and its main trade association, Abipecs, met with two federal ministers and director of the Foreign Ministry and reportedly asked for Brazil's vice president to intervene through direct contact with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin before June 16.

The trade embargo will have a serious impact on the Brazilian industry, especially in pork, said Francisco Turra, president of Brazil's poultry processors union, Ubabef. "This is so serious, it will stop 45% of pork exports," he said.

Brazil's Minister of Agriculture, Wagner Rossi, responded to industry pressure diplomatically, reaffirming that a group of industry and public officials from Brazil will return to Russia in two weeks to discuss resuming negotiations, and in the meantime Brazil would strengthen the laboratory and do their homework, in regards to Russia's claims of insanitary plant environments.

Rossi assured industry leaders he would take all necessary measures to get the embargo lifted, and left open the possibility of going personally to Moscow to handle the negotiations later this month.