August 21, 2006

Russia inspects US meat plants to decide whether to lift restrictions 

Russia's Veterinary and Phytosanitary Oversight Service said Friday (Aug 18) that restrictions on American meat imports would be lifted after Russian inspectors determined that US meat was safe for consumption.

Veterinary controls on imported meat has become an obstacle at Russia-US WTO negotiations, as the US demanded that Russia withdraw its audits and veterinary checks on US meat while Russia insists on keeping it to protect public safety.

Alexei Alekseyenko said that Russian authorities want to be absolutely certain that US meat does not present a threat to public health. If the US can provide that assurance, free trade and the issuance of veterinary certificates would proceed, he said.

Russian inspectors are currently conducting inspections at US pig farms to verify that imported pork do not contain trichinosis.

Trichinosis is a food-borne disease caused by a small parasitic worm, Trichinella spiralis. The symptoms include abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Alekseyenko said the inspections of three states would be finished in a week, and a decision would be made as to whether to continue inspections in other states based on those results.

He added that current talks on the issue were on-going and by no means closed.