October 21, 2014

Russia will soon get the first shipment of Mongolian beef four years after it imposed a ban on imports from that country due to foot-and-mouth disease. The reentry of Mongolian beef came on the heels of President Vladimir Putin's visit to Mongolia last month.

Mongolia is expected to aim for an annual export of between 100,000 and 110,000 tonnes, or15% to 20% of the total volume of Russian beef imports, making it one of the largest suppliers of beef to Russia.

"The Mongolians are ready to supply our market with products to the maximum possible level," said Alexei Alexeenko, assistant manager of Russia's veterinary watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor [Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance].

Rosselkhoznadzor said the first shipments of beef from Mongolia were being readied, with the first batch of cattle already being slaughtered.

"Russian veterinary specialists are controlling compliance with all our hygiene standards," said Roman Krupennikov, head of Rosselkhoznadzor's border veterinary control department for Irkutsk Oblast and the Republic of Buryatia.

Beef deliveries from Mongolia were banned in 2010 after several outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease, but even after the ban was lifted, Mongolia could not restore supplies.

While Russia's government officials were optimistic about the resuscitation of Mongolia's beef industry, its private meat sector expressed doubts Mongolia would be able to supply the right beef it requires. Sergei Yushin, head of the Russian National Meat Association (NMA), said Russia's processing plants use mostly boneless beef that Mongolia may not provide.

The head of NMA's department of animal husbandry and veterinary medicine, Eugene Lapinsky, also raised concerns about veterinary control over beef from Mongolia, as he claimed that cases of contaminated beef in that country was high.