US and Russia Stuck in Stalemate over Ractopamine Talks
RUSSIA & US - The two countries will further discuss plans to open up markets in Russia to American meat and poultry products that were previously closed due to concerns over the use of the beta-agonist Ractopamine.
19 August 2013
2 minute read
By: In talks last week between the Russian veterinary and food safety authority, Rosselkhoznador and the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the Russian delegation expressed concerns that the US had still not taken sufficient action to guatrantee inspections of the meat and poultry products and that exports would not be contaminated with Ractopamine or other illegal drugs.
Rosselkhoznador is concerned that the inspections and sampling are being left to the exporting companies and are not being conducted by FSIS.
Rosselkhoznador want a programme to guarantee that livestock and poultry are not fed feed containing Ractopamine or other beta-agonists.
The US has set out a programme of inspections and sampling that it says will guarantee that Ractopamine is not used.
Because of the divide between the Russian and the US, further talks have been set for this week on 21 August in an effort to settle the dispute.
