August 9, 2010

 

Russia demands assurance of US poultry-plant checks

Russian veterinary authorities want a guarantee of the inspection regimen at US poultry plants authorised for exports to the country before shipments can resume.

 

"The door will open as soon as the US side provides guarantees that the authorised plants have been inspected properly," said Alexei Alekseenko, a spokesman for Russian food-safety watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor.

 

Russia, which imported US poultry worth US$767 million in 2009, blocked the meat in January by slashing the amount of chlorine processors were permitted to use as a disinfectant. Officials agreed to import fowl disinfected with other substances after US President Barack Obama intervened at a summit with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in June.

 

The accord hit a snag last week as importers made new demands, US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. Russians wanted to add an extra "step" to the agreement after the USDA started sending Russia a list of facilities that could ship poultry under the new agreement, he said.

 

"We had poultry packed and ready to go, and then we heard of this new challenge," when Russia asked for safety reviews of American processing plants, US Trade Representative Ron Kirk said. "This behaviour is just not acceptable. The frustration is: There is always something new."