September 2, 2008

The restriction of US poultry imports into Russia is likely going to inflate poultry prices in the country, according to Dmitry Yasin, head of the International Consumer Societies Confederation.

The Russian market is 40 percent dependent on imports, and the US is the supplier of cheap poultry, Yasin said.

The Russian meat processing industry is dependent on US poultry and the restrictions will affect buyers of semi-finished poultry foods that are sold under Russian trademarks, said Yasin.

Yasin opined that Russian poultry producers will take the opportunity to increase prices for their products should the veterinary and economic disputes continue.

Russia restricted US poultry imports on sanitary basis but Yasin said Russian veterinary agencies have not, and do not publish information explaining the measure.

Russian tests on US poultry imports have repeatedly detected an excessive content of residual amount of arsenic, salmonella, enteric bacteria and other pathogenic bacteria.

Agriculture Minister Alexei Gordeyev on Friday (August 29, 2008) explained why poultry imports had been banned from 19 US farms.

"The serious questions raised by Russian experts following checks back in 2007 have not been taken into account," Gordeyev said.

Gordeyev said the removal of 19 US farms from the list of US exporters will not affect the Russian poultry market.

Poultry production in Russia has been growing at an annual rate of 15 percent in the past seven years. Russia produced nearly 1.9 million tonnes of poultry in slaughter weight last year, and output is expected to increase by more than 300,000 tonnes this year, according to Gordeyev.