The following is excerpted from the 5 April 2013 article by the Canadian Press.
Russia is set to impose new restrictions on its meat imports [this] week..
The guidelines… are expected to be related to concerns over the use of the feed additive ractopamine in Canadian livestock.
Ractopamine is used to create lean meat, and has been banned in several countries including South Korea and Taiwan.
Health Canada had approved it is safe for consumption, following a thorough evaluation, including a human health risk assessment.
However, Russia has restricted the import of Canadian meats that contain the additive since December and is anticipated to tighten the regulations further.
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said the government was “disappointed” in Russia for going ahead with these restrictions….
John Masswohl, the [Canadian Cattlemen’s Association’s] director of government and international relations, says since December, Russia has been accepting a “tiny” shipment of ractopamine-free meat from a handful of Canadian plants.
He believes that under the revised rules, Russia will only allow the import of meat that has been certified to be without additives at a Canadian plant that does not use any ractopamine-laced feed.
Masswohl says such a plant does not currently exist.
According to the association, Russia accounted for $15 million of cattle imports from Canada last year — with the majority being liver products…
“The truth is that Russia has low meat and livestock prices and they want to prevent meat from being imported. That’s what this is about,” said Masswohl.
Jacques Pomerleau, president of Canada Pork International, says the restrictions will mean that pork producers may have to revise their manufacturing standards, if they want to continue to export into Russia.
The marketing and promotion agency says Russia is Canada’s third-largest market for Canadian pork, with imports worth about $500 million last year.
This article is available in its entirety at: http://globalnews.ca/news/459218/russia-to-restrict-more-meat-imports/.