Russia-New meat bans.

RUSSIA-MEAT IMPORT BANS EXTENDED.

Russia has extended its ban on raw pork imports caused by the outbreak of swine flu to the U.S. states of Indiana and New Jersey, the country’s animal and plant health watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor said on Thursday.

Its statement showed that the watchdog had also eased a ban on Ohio and Kansas, allowing imports of meat other than raw pork from those states.

Russia now applies a ban on all types of raw meat and meat products originating from the states of California, Texas and New York, qualified as Zone 1, where multiple cases of virus were registered among humans and its propagation among pigs was not clear.

A ban on raw pork and pork products will be applied to Zone 2, which includes the states bordering Mexico, states where isolated cases of swine flu were registered and presence of the virus among pigs was highly improbable.

Rosselkhoznadzor included the states of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma and Florida in the Zone 1.

It included all other U.S. states in virus-free Zone 3.

Last Sunday Russia applied a ban on meat imports from Mexico, various U.S. states and countries of Central America and the Caribbean, after an outbreak of highly pathogenic flu strain, which has killed up to 176 people in Mexico.

The U.S. embassy in Moscow issued a statement on Tuesday saying pork originating from the United States was safe and there was no evidence that the virus could be transmitted by meat.

On Wednesday, the government said pork bans will be maintained until June 1 [ID:nLT884121]

The new outbreak of swine flu has killed up to 176 people in Mexico and is now spreading around the world.