Russia pulls plug on sales of meat import quota

 

 

Russia's government has abandoned plans to auction one-third of its 2010 meat import quotas, thus removing an obstacle to setting the quotas from next year.

 

The decision was taken at a meeting between officials and representatives of agribusiness chaired by First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov.

 

A disagreement between officials and producers over the distribution of the quotas has delayed the approval of the new quotas to substitute the existing trade regime, which expires this year.

 

Russia expects to reduce poultry meat and pork import quotas, under which meat may be imported at a discount tariff, and to raise the beef import quota from next year to 2012.

 

But a government order setting the actual quota volumes has yet to be signed and officially published.

 

The Russian meat industry had earlier expressed concerns that the auction may open up the floodgates to meat imports, as large foreign meat companies could buy up the quotas which the financially-weaker local companies could not afford.