November 26, 2009

Russia's meat imports seen as much safer than local red meat

The quality of meat supplied to the Russian market by domestic producers are so poor that imported meat is much safer, according to sources from the country's veterinary service.

The lack of effective actions on domestic meat producers by local veterinary authorities has caused a decline in standards.

The use of dangerous antibiotics and artificial additives are among the biggest concerns of the veterinary authorities. The presence of such substances is becoming more frequent in meat and meat products, due to their use by local farmers as feed ingredients.

Even though imports are considered "safer", the quality of meat imported from CIS countries, as well as Baltic states and Belarus sometimes also leaves much to be desired.

The best meat quality is supplied from the EU. However, EU meat supplies to Russia are on a steady decline as the federation pays more attention to the development of the domestic agricultural and meat industries.