Russia Working For Civilized Poultry Imports

RUSSIA - Recent developments in the Russian agrarian sector lead to the conclusion that foreign poultry producers and exporters should get ready for difficult times.

First, Russian poultry imports will go down in general. This decision is a result of concerted effort by the authorities on the one hand, and poultry producers and the Association of Russian Chicken Operators, on the other. This year the latter will cut their purchases by one third on their own free will.

In Russia's recent history this is the first graphic example of large-scale cooperation between the government and business community. Senator Sergei Lisovsky, a well-known businessman and the owner of a huge poultry holding producing up to 30 million broilers a year, said that the authorities have improved their approach to the poultry industry.

He thinks, though, that restrictions on imports should have been imposed much earlier. "We Russian producers are not against foreign companies, who work honestly on the Russian market, but we are against those who buy cheap stale poultry, evade taxes, export poultry to Russia at dumping prices, and destroy the market," he said.

Secondly, it is time to streamline poultry imports as such. According to available data, last year in addition to the official imports of 770,000 tons of poultry, Russia received more than 250,000 tons of poultry illegally. For this reason Rosselkhoznadzor (Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Inspection) recently cancelled all permits for poultry imports with a view to subsequent re-registration and issue of new licenses.

Source: RIA Novosti

4 May 2006