Russia-Economic hardship is forcing a reduction in meat imports.

RUSSIA-BALANCING THE IMPORTS WITHOUT LOSING FACE.

Russia will have to adjust meat import levels to account for what officials predict will be a 20 percent reduction in domestic consumption of pork and beef in 2009.

Sergei Rushin, head of Russia’s National Meat Association, a powerful industry lobby, told Reuters the global economic crisis is prompting consumers to shift their purchases down to poultry.

Rushin said Moscow should retain current import quotas on poultry and pork, but could raise beef quotas by 20 percent to 25 percent from 2010 as domestic cattle numbers continue to fall. "We are unable to compete with many meat producers, and therefore we will have to keep import quotas for at least the next three years," he said.

Russian beef imports through the first two months of 2009 decreased by more than 40 percent to 39,000 tons from the same period last year, Reuters reported, citing NMA data. Pork imports declined 31 percent to 53,000 tons, and poultry imports fell 18 percent to 92,000 tons. Meanwhile, imports of beef offal and pork offal were up by 20 percent and 23 percent, respectively.

Russia produced some 2.2 million tons of poultry meat and imported 1.2 million tons; produced 2 million tons of pork and imported 770,000 tons; and produced 1.65 million tons of beef and imported nearly 800,000 tons, according to Reuters. The numbers exclude offal and live animals.

Moscow has increased its import quota for pork by about 40,000 tons and cut its poultry import quota by about 300,000 tons, while upping the related tariffs.