July 7, 2011

Russia may halt German meat imports 

Numerous German provinces may experience termination of meat imports imposed by the Russian agricultural authority.

Service head Sergei Dankvert said 1,493 German companies supply meat products to Russia and that 1,410 of them do so under guarantees of the German veterinary service.

However, the results of recent monitoring show that the German service's control has slackened and become less effective. "The number of bans on meat imports from Germany has grown from 26 in 2007-08 to 51 in 2009, 65 in 2010 and 37 in the first six months of 2011," he said.

The Russian agricultural watchdog will hold talks with German counterparts in Moscow where it will request additional safety guarantees and a review of the list of German suppliers.

These measures must be taken or Russia will have to suspend imports from the provinces where the level of state guarantees is very high, Dankvert said.