| Russian veterinarians are again dissatisfied with the quality of “Bush legs” Today, the results of Russian-American negotiations on the problems that arose after Russian veterinarians inspected American chicken suppliers, as well as on developing technologies for the next inspections, should become known. So far, representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture have refused to make any comments, noting only that only “technical issues” are being discussed at the negotiations. But most likely the claims of the Russian Ministry of Agriculture are much more serious. As former Minister of Agriculture and Deputy Head of the Economic Policy Committee Viktor Semenov said, the requirements of the new Russian veterinary certificate for chicken meat are not fully met. Inspection trips to American poultry farms that took place last fall showed that the introduction of a new certificate for poultry meat, which spoiled a lot of blood on both sides, did not fundamentally change the situation.
The new rules reduce the use of antibiotics in feed and chlorine for processing carcasses, and also reduce the shelf life of meat for further processing. In the fall, Russian inspectors, together with representatives of the American food safety service, visited 366 of the 450 poultry farms trading with Russia, and then they were replaced by a second team of inspectors to check all documentation.
It is fundamentally important for the American side to ensure that no measures are introduced against their products. According to Mr. Semenov, “Russian negotiators are feeling significant pressure from the Americans.” The introduction of new restrictions could indeed be critical for American suppliers. The fight against the new veterinary certificate already cost the United States a six-month decline in prices on the domestic market and the loss of a quarter of the Russian market. If earlier “Bush legs” were the undisputed leaders, now they are being squeezed out by both Brazilian chickens and, to a lesser extent, domestic ones. In addition, on December 30 last year, the government commission on protective measures in foreign trade introduced an annual quota for poultry meat of 1 million 50 thousand tons for three years. Supplies in excess of the quota will be subject to prohibitive duties. These measures further narrow the Russian market, which the American side does not intend to put up with at all. Vera SITNINA |
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