Russia Threatens to Ban EU Poultry

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, July 07, 2003

Russia Threatens to Ban EU Poultry

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Ongoing food safety fears may prompt Russia to ban all imports of poultry and poultry products from the European Union after July 11, according to an Agriculture Ministry document issued after talks with EU veterinary officials in Brussels on Friday.

The Russian delegation, headed by First Deputy Agriculture Minister Sergei Dankvert, accused the EU of using double health standards for imports and exports.

"When there is a need [for Russia] to import a European shipment, there are no limitations and everything is imported. But when the issue concerns exporting Russian products to the EU, the EU sends a 250-page questionnaire. There should be no double standards. We want to clear up this issue, and we will," RIA Novosti quoted Dankvert as saying before meeting with EU officials.

Brussels and Moscow on Friday agreed to sign a unified veterinary certificate that will replace the bilateral agreements Russia has with each EU country. Dankvert said Russia needs health safety guarantees from the EU as a whole, especially with new countries set to join the union.

During Friday's talks, Brussels told Russia that it would on July 11 lift the current ban on poultry exports from the Netherlands, the world's fourth largest poultry exporter, as well as Belgium and Germany.

The ban was introduced after an outbreak of avian flu earlier this year, which prompted a Russian farm to kill more than 90,000 chickens and destroy 360,000 eggs to prevent an outbreak in the country.

Russian veterinary officials insist that the danger of avian flu spreading from Europe to Russia has not yet passed.

According to the Agriculture Ministry, Russia has not had an outbreak of avian flu for more than 15 years.

Russia purchases up to a third of the EU's poultry exports, importing 264,000 metric tons last year, or 20 percent of poultry imports.

Source: Agencies

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