June 2, 2009

Russia has eased a ban on meat imports from two states in the United States that was imposed due to the AH1N1 flu virus, but has not lifted it altogether, the country's animal and plant watchdog said on Monday (June 1).

However, Russian animal and plant health watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor said it believed a decision to lift the ban could be taken shortly.

Nikolai Vlasov, deputy head of the watchdog, Rosselkhoznadzor, said the states of Arizona and California have been transferred to Zone 2, after the situation there improved. Under the Zone 2 restrictions, live pigs and raw pork imports are banned, instead of all meat under Zone 1.

Vlasov said Russian meat imports from the US had fallen 9 percent since the ban was imposed.

Vlasov, who is also the country's chief veterinarian, said Russia had lifted a ban on live pigs and pork products from Spain, where it was imposed in three provinces, and from the Canadian province of Alberta.

But live pigs and raw pork imports were banned from the province of Quebec.

Vlasov did not say when the remaining bans could be lifted.

Rosselkhoznadzor head Sergei Dankvert said earlier on Monday (June 1) the watchdog could decide on lifting the US bans in the next two days.

The Russian government had said it planned to keep the bans on raw pork imports from countries affected by the AH1N1 flu virus until June 1.

A Zone 1 ban on imports of all types of meat is currently applied to Mexico, Central American and Caribbean states, as well as the US states of Illinois, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin and Canada's Ontario province.

Dankvert said no decisions were taken last week on Russian bans at talks in Paris between Russian and US veterinary officials and meat industry groups.