December 26, 2013

Russia's ban on US meat imports causes significant loss to US

Driven by Russia's ban on imports of meat and meat products from the US this February due to ractopamine use, the US has lost between US$5 billion and US$6 billion.

According to the US Ambassador to Moscow, Michael McFaul, Washington has lost US$5-6 billion due to this ban by the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance on imports of US frozen pork and beef, turkey sticks, raw casings and by-products over the presence of ractopamine stimulant in the meat and meat products in question.

Speaking in an interview with the on Wednesday (Dec 18), McFaul said it was a major problem for the US, which has lost US$5 billion to US$6 billion because of that.

He added that the US was bending every effort to have the ban lifted, however, he admitted that other US businesses were content with their cooperation with Russia.

He said cooperation was going on even in the humanitarian field, despite the expulsion of US Agency for International Development (USAID) and differences on the law on foreign agents. Russia and the US are going ahead with their cultural exchanges, as well as exchanges in delegations of athletes and civil society actors.