Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 6/10/15


Russia's state food safety watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor said on Tuesday it had banned the transit of U.S. live poultry, poultry products and eggs, effective June 10, because of the outbreak of avian flu in the United States, Reuters reported.

U.S. poultry exports to Russia had already been banned since last August, when Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree banning imports of agricultural products for one year from countries that imposed sanctions on Russia over its involvement in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Today’s action will likely impede U.S. poultry shipments to Kazakhstan, USA Poultry and Egg Export Council spokesman Toby Moore told Meatingplace. 

“The majority of U.S. poultry shipped to Kazakhstan must be sent by rail from the ports of Riga, Latvia; and Klaipeda, Lithuania, across Russian territory. So, a transit ban by Russia affects the flow of product, as the only other port that doesn’t require Russia transit is Poti, in the Republic of Georgia, and it’s too small to handle the volume,” Moore said.

The annual U.S. poultry quota for Kazakhstan is 110,000 metric tons.

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