December 6, 2008

Russia delays issuing of import permits for US poultry

Russia said on Friday (Dec 5, 2008) that import permits for US poultry meat for 2009 will not be issued until the US Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) provides a list of companies that do not use excessive chlorine in meat processing.

Russia's animal and plant health watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor said it had requested such a list in October but had not received an answer.

From January onward, a new standard will become effective in Russia, setting the level of chlorine content in solutions used to wash poultry meat, said the agency.

The issue will be discussed when a FSIS delegation visits Moscow in mid-December, said Albert Davleyev, head of the US Poultry and Egg Export Council Moscow office.

Russia is a key market for US poultry producers, but Moscow has recently trimmed 300,000 tonnes of poultry meat import tariff quota for 2009 from this year's 1.252 million tonnes.