Source:  Bob Moser, MEATINGPLACE, 7/26/11

Russia may push back the end-of-July deadline it had agreed to with Brazil to end its trade embargo on 85 meat processing plants that began in June, according to Brazilian newspaper Diario Comercio, Industria e Servicos.

A Brazilian trade mission to Moscow earlier this month had seemingly ended the stalemate between the two countries, with an agreement set at that time to end Russia's ban on meat imports from 85 Brazilian plants by July 31.

However, Russia's office of veterinary and food sanitation oversight, Rosselkhoznadzor, had said it would return on July 20 with a full review of inspection documents the Brazilians had turned over during their visit earlier this month. That date has passed without word from Rosselkhoznadzor, and Brazil's DCI newspaper has published statements from a Russian publication in which the head of Rosselkhoznadzor said that Aug. 10 was the new decision date for the Brazilian trade embargo.

Russia is currently negotiating entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) with key partners, including Brazil, and one of the barriers to Russia's acceptance is sanitation standards. Russia reportedly wants the right to adopt measures for its trade partners that are even tougher than the WTO rules.

According to DCI, Russian officials have not given Brazil any assuance that the meat embargo will be lifted if they are accepted into the WTO. There is also no guarantee that Russia won't reimplement restrictions on certain trade partners after lifting them for a short period.

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