Russian ban on poultry imports in review

Poland had dropped its veto on the start of talks on a new partnership deal between the EU and Russia. Warsaw had initially blocked negotiations aimed at creating a new EU-Russia deal because of a Russian embargo on Polish meat and plant products. Moscow had justified its ban on meat and plant exports from EU member Poland, alleging that cases of export from Poland had fraudulent veterinary certificates. Warsaw said the embargo is politically motivated, stating that Russia wants to punish former satellite countries in central Europe that have joined the EU. However, Rosselkhoznadzor, the animal and plant disease watchdog in Russia, also banned imports of pork and chicken meat from some German factories and turkey mince from selected French factories last month after finding salmonella bacteria in some shipments.

EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou is expected to discuss the Russian embargo on Polish food imports in an upcoming face-to-face meeting with Russia’s Agriculture Minister Alexei Gordeyev.