August 12, 2010

US poultry shipping to Russia put on hold

US poultry exports to Russia remain on hold as the two countries work on a new problem with the agreement to open Russia's market, announced President Obama and Russia's President Dmitri Medvedev.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on August 10 that the agreement was for the US to provide the Russian government with a list of US poultry plants that were "in a position to comply with the terms of the agreement."

The list of US poultry plants had been sent to Russia, but the Russians then asked "for the opportunity to look at and inspect these plants. That is not consistent with the agreement, and was not discussed by the President," Vilsack reported. He called the Russians' demand for plant inspections "really unnecessary."

Exports of US poultry to Russia were all set when the Russian government made a new demand in early August that again stymied market access to a key market for the US industry. The market had been expected to be opened after President Obama and Russian President Medvedev announced the framework for an agreement during a White House meeting in late June.