Russian Ban on EU Meat
AUSTRALIA - In April, the Russian Federation introduced a series of company specific bans on western European poultry, pork and beef due to antibiotic levels in meat shipments exceeding Russia’s required ‘safe limit’.
26 May 2008
1 minute read
To date, approximately 53 meat establishments (which produce mostly pig meat and poultry) in Spain, France, Germany, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy and Hungary have been affected by the ban. Meat imports from some establishments have also been banned indefinitely in the US, Canada, Brazil and Argentina.
A statement issued by the European Commission (EC) states that the levels of antibiotic residues in meat imports reported by Russia were in most cases well below the maximum allowed in EU legislation, and in the international standard. The EC has requested Russia review its measures, maintaining that EU meat does not pose a risk to consumers and that the measures taken by Russia are disproportionate.
A series of bilateral meetings are being held through to early June to resolve the situation.
TheCattleSite News Desk
