June 15, 2010

 

 

Russia has imposed a new imperative that only allows US companies on an approved plant list to export their meat products to Russia.

 

As also required under the existing certification process, those facilities must ensure that they use raw meat only from slaughter plants approved to export to Russia.

 

"Although there is no official ban on the exportation of prepared meat products (namely beef and poultry) to Russia, the country maintains certain requirements that are difficult to meet," said Katie Gorscak, a spokeswoman for USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service.

 

The difficulty of Russia's latest requirement is not in identifying all companies on an approved establishment list. The difficulty for plants is in having to apply to FSIS to be placed on the eligible list.

 

Russia continues to restrict US prepared beef because the two governments have not been able to negotiate a new export certificate. Russia has insisted that the export certificate contain a statement that the US is free from bovine spongiform encephalopathy, which FSIS veterinarians cannot attest. Meanwhile, all poultry, including prepared poultry, remains banned as a result of Russia's restrictions on the use of chlorine in processing.

 

"We continue to work with Russia to try to find a mutually acceptable outcome that will facilitate the resumption of prepared meat exports to Russia," Gorscak said.