Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 2/3/14


Officials in Russia have temporarily suspended the import of hogs and pork products from European Union nations following the discovery of an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in Lithuania and Latvia late last week.

The Russian veterinary authority Rosselkhoznador is looking into outbreaks of ASF due to the deaths of 11 wild boars, according to the agency’s website. The outbreaks in Poland and Lithuania last month prompted Russia to block Danish, Dutch and German trucks carrying pork to its borders, although no official word on a full ban has been announced so far in Moscow, according to a report from Reuters.

Rosselkhoznador expects talks between the EU, experts from the Eurasian Economic Commission and Russian officials to take place this week to discuss the ASF outbreaks. Additional talks are expected to be held in Moscow later this month, according to the agency.

The European Union is calling the reaction “disproportionate.” A formal ban on pork could last three years, Russian agency officials said.

Russia imports about 55 percent of its pork from EU countries on an annual basis, including 96 percent of pork fat and 96 percent of all offal, according to an expert quoted by GlobalMeatNews.com.

For more stories, go to www.meatingplace.com.