October 22, 2010

Russian producers push for poultry import ban

Domestic producers in Russia are calling for a ban on imports, blaming a drop in prices on the resumption of imports from the US.

Domestic poultry producers are urging the government to ban imports of cheaper fowl that are hurting their profits, according to reports.

Poultry prices fell 5% last week after 30,000 tonnes of US chicken arrived, the report said, citing Senator Sergei Lisovsky. Prices will drop further after 100,000 tonnes of chicken now in transit arrives in Russia, it said.

Poultry farms representing 70% of national output will petition Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to ban imports because domestic production of more than three million tons is enough to meet demand, Lisovsky said.

Meanwhile, Putin said earlier that the country may not need to import poultry meat in 2011 and beyond. Russia was the largest importer of US chicken before it put a ban in place in January. Officials were concerned about a chlorine rinse used in US processing plants to kill pathogens. The chlorine is capable of causing food poisoning.