Source: Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE, 11/23/11

Russia’s expected accession to the World Trade Organization won’t solve all the problems that U.S. beef and pork exporters have experienced in shipping product to that country, but it should bind Moscow to international standards.

So says Thad Lively, senior vice president of the U.S. Meat Export Federation, who expects Russia to receive an official invitation to join the WTO in mid-December. The process to join would likely stretch well into 2012 as Moscow addresses legislative changes that would be required.

Lively said U.S. pork and beef exports still will be subject to a quota system and related tariffs, but membership in the WTO should force Russia to be more consistent and transparent in how it trades with the United States.

“As a result of joining the WTO, Russia now has agreed to live by the rules that rest of the countries that are already in [the WTO] observe,” Lively said. “So, fundamentally what that means if Russia chooses to use those rules in a way that isn’t based on science, then we’ll have a higher court, so to speak, to refer the problem to that we haven’t had up until now,” Lively said.

Russia’s accession to the WTO is 18 years in the making. Its accession represents the most significant addition to the WTO since China joined about a decade ago.

Through September, U.S. pork exports (including variety meat) to Russia are up 22 percent in value to more than $183 million, making it this year’s sixth-largest value market for U.S. pork. Beef exports are up 67 percent in value to nearly $196 million, giving Russia the No. 5 ranking in export value.

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