Russia to import meat from Switzerland

Russian meat importers are starting to source meat from Switzerland following the ban on European Union (EU) food imports.

Meat buyers have been approaching Micarna, one of the largest producers of fresh meat, charcuterie, poultry and fish in Switzerland, for supplies of meat and meat products. The buyers are targeting mainly pork, especially bacon, tongue and sausage meat as well as liver.

However, part of the problem for Micarna and other meat suppliers based in Switzerland is that they lack experience in sending large-scale meat exports to Russia. Certification issues will also be a barrier, said an official at the Bundesamt für Landwirtschaft (BLW), the Swiss federal office for agriculture. Russian importers would also have to pay a high price for quality meat products from Switzerland compared to many EU exporters.

The Schweizer Fleisch-Fachverband SFF (Swiss meat association) said it was "not getting involved" in the Russian situation. "We can't predict if the Swiss meat shipments to Russia will be affected by the crisis or not," said Elias Welti, head of communications at the SFF.