Russia-Brazil Agree Ractopamine Guarantees
RUSSIA - Brazil has issued assurances that its exports of meat products to Russia will be free of residues especially the beta agonist ractopamine and beef exports to Russia are now expected to restart.
14 December 2012
2 minute read
The assurances follow technical talks between specialists at the Russian veterinary authority Rosselkhoznador and the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply in Moscow this week.
During the meeting, questions were raised about the measures taken by the Brazilian authorities over the measures that are being taken to ensure that meat products supplied to the Russian Federation and the countries of the Customs Union do not contain ractopamine.
The Brazilian delegation said it is ready to meet the requirements of the Customs Union and the Russian Federation and supply documentary assurances.
In an earlier meeting, Brazil also assured the Russian veterinary authorities over the recently reported case of a cow that was at first believed to have had BSE. Scientists had identified the prion protein in the animal, but it had not contracted BSE.
The Brazilian agriculture ministry informed the Russian authorities that it would provide written assurance that measures had been taken to ensure the safety of beef including the removal and disposal of specified risk material obtained from slaughter cattle.
Despite the fact that the issue of the use of ractopamine in livestock production has been discussed within the framework of the OIE, Codex Alimmentarius, before Brazilian side voted in favour of the maximum permissible levels of the beta-agonist ractopamine in animal products, Celio Porto, the secretary for international relations at the Ministry of Agriculture expressed willingness to comply with the requirements of the Customs Union and the Russian Federation and provide additional guarantees about the absence of ractopamine in production.
The resumption of supplies from the three states of Mato Grosso, Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná, rested on a positive outcome of the technical talks that took place this week.
Rosselkhoznador said that both sides expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting and the intention to continue the mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of veterinary supervision.
TheCattleSite News Desk
