Russia bans imports of US poultry

Russian veterinary watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor has imposed a temporary ban on the supply of US poultry meat to Russia, an official statement of the department reports.

Rosselkhoznadzor representatives explained that the restrictions are connected to the violation of sanitary norms by the American companies, and are necessary in order to ensure the “safety of poultry products, supplying the Russian market”. The ban affects poultry meat and by-products, as well as ready-to-cook production from poultry meat.

The press-service of Rosselkhoznadzor stated that “Russian veterinarians continue to identify residues of harmful and illegal substances in US poultry products, including antibiotics from the tetracycline group. That is a gross violation of the requirements and standards of the Customs Union,” the department concluded.

Poultry from the US has not been supplied to the Russian market since August 2014, however, due to the food embargo of the Russian government. The new restrictions mean that the import of poultry from the US would not be possible even in case the embargo would be lifted.

Previously, Russian authorities also restricted the import of pork from Canada and US due to the ractopamine issue. Some experts believe that with such a step the Russian government is preparing the domestic livestock industry for the lifting of the embargo, which will return the part of banned production to the country’s market.