November 8, 2010

 

USDA blasts proposed Russian ban on frozen poultry imports

The USDA blasted this week a proposed Russian ban on the sale of frozen poultry meat for health reasons beginning January 2011.

 

Sources said the US is looking into a statement by a top Russian official that the ban will expand to all frozen poultry, not just meat used for processed products.

 

According to an USDA spokeswoman, "as of January 1, 2011 a provision in Russian Resolution #30 will expand the prohibition of the use of frozen poultry for further processing in baby food to the manufacture of all processed products."

 

"The US and several other WTO members have expressed concern regarding Russia's planned prohibition on use of frozen poultry and we will continue to work bilaterally and multilaterally to resolve this issue. There is no scientific basis or food safety rationale for this ban. Freezing is a long used, internationally accepted method of securing the safety of food products, including poultry and poultry products," she said.

 

The spokeswoman added that the USDA and the Office of US Trade Representative (USTR) are discussing the proposed ban with Russian officials in the context of Russia's 17-year bid to join the WTO.

 

A statement this week by Gennady Onishchenko, the director of the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Consumers Protection and Welfare, appears to expand a ban that Russia had previously been contemplating on the use of frozen poultry for further processing, such as being used for sausage.

 

While significant, that would have affected only about 10% of US poultry exports, as most US exports are consumed directly in Russia, an industry source explained. The US only exports frozen poultry to Russia due to the length of the journey, and a complete ban would effectively cut off US exports.

 

US industry groups in the last month provided Russian officials with scientific evidence showing no justification for this more limited ban, sources said.

 

USTR had warned Russia not to implement the narrower ban in the context of discussions on Russia's desire to accede to the WTO, stating that such a deviation from international norms on poultry meat could damage the ongoing accession process, sources said.

 

The US is still trying to get official confirmation that the ban has now grown to encompass all frozen poultry. This remains somewhat unclear, as Onishchenko made his announcement on November 2. The Russian government has not yet backed this up with an official announcement, sources said.

 

Sources said that no country in the world bans the sale of frozen poultry and argued that the impact on the domestic Russian market would be enormous given the long transportation distances meat must travel to grocery stores. Chilled chicken meat can only last about five days, one source said.

 

The proposed frozen poultry ban comes weeks after Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin made comments that Russia should stop importing poultry and become self-sufficient. It also comes against the backdrop of bilateral talks between Russia and the US over Russia's tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) for poultry, beef and pork.