July 6, 2009

Russia has partly lifted its ban on Canadian pork, easing one of the major trade impediments that have been straining Canada's pork industry since the outbreak of AH1N1 flu in April.

Russia has lifted its ban on imports of pork from the Canadian province of Quebec, Canada's international trade minister Stockwell Day said on Friday (July 3). The ban remains in place on uncooked pork from Ontario.

Day visited Russia in late June, and government officials there initially refused to lift the ban on Canadian swine and pork because of their contention that the AH1N1 virus is more rampant in Canada than in the US.

Effective June 30, Russia lifted AH1N1-related restrictions on pork and pork products from Quebec that were produced before June 2 and after June 30. Russia also lifted restrictions against some Ontario products, including beef and poultry.

The ban on Ontario pork remains in place due to the prevalence of the AH1N1 virus in humans in Canada's most populous province, said Jacques Pomerleau, executive director of Canada Pork International, a marketing agency for the export pork industry.

Russia had earlier lifted its ban on pork and swine from the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Nova Scotia and British Columbia.

More than a dozen other countries are believed to still have at least partial bans on Canadian pork or swine, most notably China.