December 3, 2010

Russia's quota for US poultry imports will not be exhausted

Russian companies importing poultry meat from the US will be unable to take up this year's poultry import quota, the head of the Russian consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, Gennady Onishchenko, said on Thursday (Dec 2).

He reiterated that in 2010, Russia's quota for the import of poultry from the US comprised 600,000 tonnes.

"Taking into account the fact that today is December 2, I do not think that they can exhaust the quota," Onishchenko said.

He explained the decline as being caused by Russia's ban on the import of chlorine-treated poultry meat; US poultry meat also undergoes the same treatment.

"Beginning from 2010, no Russian poultry producer uses chlorine to disinfect poultry meat," Onishchenko said.

The Rospotrebnadzor chief stressed the importance of protein for a human body, mainly that of white poultry meat and fish.

"Russia's annual fish consumption per capita totals 52 kilogrammes," he said, adding that in many coastal countries, the fish consumption per capital reaches 120 kilogrammes.