Russia lifts ban on US chicken

Russia agrees to lift the ban on US chicken exports contingent upon use of alternative sanitisers instead of chlorinated water.

 

After meetings Thursday (June 24) between President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Russia has agreed to lift the ban on US chicken. The ban had been in effect since January when Russia, which spent US$800 million on US poultry in 2008, claimed that the US practice of treating the chicken with chlorine to kill pathogenic bacteria violated its food safety rules.

 

Producers argued that the rinse was safe but January talks between Russia and US experts ended without Russia's commitment to reopen the largest US export market.

 

This week's reopening of the market is contingent upon exporters' use of alternative sanitising compounds. Although US government officials do not share Russia's safety concern over the chlorinated water rinse, US negotiators agreed that the chicken exports to Russia will not go through the rinse.

 

The deal prompted a rise in shares of several of the largest chicken producers.