December 19, 2005

 

Russia bans meat imports from more Brazilian states

 

 

Russia has banned all meat exports from an additional seven Brazilian states, the Russian Embassy confirmed Thursday.

 

Sergei Loginov, the Russian commerce secretary in Brasilia, said that Russia banned beef and pork exports from Santa Catarina, Parana, Rio Grande do Sul, Minas Gerais, Sao Paulo, Goias and Minas Gerais states.

 

All but Rio Grande do Sul share a border with either Parana or Mato Grosso do Sul.

 

The Russia ban is due to FMD found in Mato Grosso do Sul and in neighbouring Parana state. Mato Grosso do Sul animal health inspectors confirmed 29 farms to have cattle with FMD. One ranch in Parana was confirmed last week. The Parana cattle were purchased from the same neighbourhood in Mato Grosso do Sul where the first outbreak was recorded back on Oct 10.

 

Russia had initially only banned beef from Mato Grosso do Sul but decided to increase the ban on Dec 9 because of the discovery in Parana.

 

The ban is effective immediately.

 

Loginov said "in theory" the ban on meat from Parana and Mato Grosso do Sul could last up to two years, according to a sanitary accord signed between Russia and Brazil.

 

Russia is one of Brazil's top export markets for beef and pork.

 

The country does not import meat from December to March because ports there are frozen. The new embargo now covers nearly all of Brazil's cattle herd and meat processing plants. If the suspension of these new states continues beyond the Russian winter, it could wipe out Brazilian beef exports to Russia.

 

Nelmon Oliveira da Costa, Brazil's sub-secretary of agricultural defence, said he doubted the possibility that Russia would keep the additional seven-state ban in effect for all of 2006.