May 14, 2013

Ukraine halts chicken meat exports to Russia

While it investigates a Russian allegation of contamination, Ukraine has barred exports of chicken meat to Russia by domestic firms including MHP.

"We have temporarily suspended exports upon Russia's request," a spokesman for the State Veterinary and Phytosanitary Service said on Monday (May 6), adding that the Russian authorities claimed they had found harmful salmonella and listeria bacteria in chicken from Ukraine.

"There will be an investigation, we have no information so far; it is not clear in which producer's meat they were found."

The suspension also affects sales to Belarus and Kazakhstan, which are members of a Russia-led customs union.

MHP, which lists all the three countries among its main export destinations, could not be reached for comment.