October 20, 2005

Russia will keep import quotas on meat until 2009

Russia's existing meat quotas would be kept until 2009, without any plans for revision, the country's government said.

After 2009, the quotas would be reviewed based on World Trade Organization negotiations on cutting other governments' subsidies to their domestic agricultural producers.

Russia currently imports about EUR1.3 billion worth of EU meat annually. 80 percent of Russia's current total beef import quota of 457,500 tonnes was expected to come from the EU. Meanwhile, imports of EU pork were expected to comprise half of the existing pork quota of 467,400 tonnes.