Russia-More meat plants de-listed.

RUSSIA.

MORE MEAT BANS.

Russia has announced the temporary bans on meat from the United States, Canada, Uruguay, Belarus and Ukraine, based on the allegations that noxious substances were found in imported meat from these countries.

Reality suggests that the bans are in part political, in the case of the United States and Ukraine and financial in regard to the other countries.

Russian importers do not have the cash or the credit facilities in place to pay for meat imports, however they do have special arrangements with Argentina and Brazil.

On hearing the news representatives from the affected countries said the decision from the administration of President Dmitri Medvedev can only be traced to the upholding of domestic production at a critical time.

Russian authorities reacted by insisting the situation was only a temporary one, in accordance with the strict veterinary rules.

Argentina is now well positioned to become the main supplier to Russia, along with Brazil.

There have never been problems on matters of health with Argentine or Brazilian beef, who both operate the best beef plants in the world today.

Russia play the health card to regulate the market, which is not new and was in fact invented by the USDA in the sixties then picked up by the old EEC at the same time, when the market was full a health reason could be found to stop imports.

It used to be rail dust in the cartons or insecticides in the meat.

What goes around most certainly comes around in the meat industry.