April 12, 2013

Mexico beef exports to Russia to continue despite meat import ban

Most of Mexico's beef exports to Russia will not be blocked by a ban on meat imports that contain traces of the feed additive ractopamine, according to an official advisory.

Russia had warned it would only import beef from five of the 25 processing plants from which it had previously bought, and from two of the four horse meat plants, said Enrique Sanchez, the head of Mexico's agricultural safety agency, Senasica.

However those five beef plants account for about 80% of Mexico's beef exports to Russia, Sanchez said.

Officials from both countries will meet next week to resolve the matter, he added.

Last week, Russia announced plans to ban meat imports from most Canadian and Mexican suppliers as it seeks to ban meat reared on ractopamine.

The growth stimulant is used to make meat leaner, but is banned in some countries due to concerns that residues could remain in the meat and cause health problems, despite scientific evidence indicating that it is safe.

According to official data, Mexico sent 25 tonnes of beef and 7.7 tonnes of horse meat to Russia in 2012, makes up 5% of Russia's meat imports.

Overall, Mexican meat exports to Russia were worth US$251 million last year.