U.S.slams Russian embargo on meat from states reporting flu
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Russia widened a ban Tuesday on all meat imports from Mexico and some U.S. states where the latest outbreak of influenza has been reported.
Rosselkhodnadzor, Russia’s veterinary watchdog, added New York and Ohio to the list of U.S. states barred from exporting meat into Russia. Earlier, Russia banned meat products from Mexico and three U.S. states — Texas, Kansas and California — as the number of swine flu cases were reported in those states.
The U.S. slammed the ban, saying the disease was not spread through meat products.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 in Charleston, W.Va. The current swine flu crisis has depressed pork prices in the U.S.
April 28, 2009 in Charleston, W.Va. The current swine flu crisis has depressed pork prices in the U.S.
"(In the) absence (of) any risk to human or animal health, there is no basis for any import restrictions on U.S. meat products related to concern over swine influenza," said the U.S. Embassy said in a statement. "We look forward to a quick resumption of normal meat trade with Russia."
World Organisation for Animal Health in Paris sympathized, at least.
"Given there is no case of infection in animals confirmed in the zones where cases of human infection have been detected, it is not necessary to introduce specific measures for international trade in swine or their products nor to consider that consumers of pork products are at risk of infection," the organization said.
Russia has also suspended pork imports that are not heat-treated from several Latin American countries and eight other U.S. states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Florida.
China, too, has banned pork from Mexico and the five states where the flu has been reported: California, Kansas, New York, Texas and Ohio, said Joe Schuele, communications director for the U.S. Meat export Federation.
China has also banned transshipments from other states through the banned states, Schuele said. So a Nebraska producer couldn’t ship through California.
Russia and China are the only two major markets. with bans in place, Schuele said.
"Pork exports to both countries had slowed significantly over the past six months, for reasons unrelated to this," Schuela said. "They simply haven’t been buying a lot of U.S. pork in an effort to bolster their domestic industries.
Other nations banning U.S. pork are Thailand, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, St. Lucia, Honduras and United Arab Emirates, Schuele said.
"South Korea and Japan haven’t issued any kind of suspension," he said. "That’s very good news for the industry.
"While this is a very serious situation, one we hope to reverse very quickly, we want to make it clear the vast majority (of foreign markets) do remain open, Schuele said.
Under international trade laws, countries are allowed to block imports on health and safety grounds if there is scientific evidence of potential risks.