According to Itar-Tass, poultry imports consultations have started at the headquarters of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RUIE) in Moscow.

The consultations are focused on the US compliance with Russian poultry standards and agricultural cooperation in general.

US Poultry and Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) president, Jim Sumner, leads the American delegation, and RUIE president, Alexander Shokhin, is the Russian delegation head.

The dispute has arisen as the result of Russia banning the use of chlorine as a pathogen reduction treatment in poultry processing plants on the grounds of potential damage to human health. The ban came into effect on 1 January. The US – a leading suppler of poultry meat to Russia – routinely uses chlorine for this purpose and so US poultry meat imports are also, in effect, banned from the Russian Federation.

Russian representatives were not confident of an early resolution to the dispute. RIA Novosti reports that the Russian-US talks on safety standards for American poultry imports may last until the end of the year, quoting Mr Shokhin.

He said: "This is simultaneously a bureaucratic and technological process. It may last through the year, or may be over in a month. But we would not like to waste this year."

A temporary lifting of the ban on US poultry meat may be in sight. Later, RIA Novosti reported that the US may be allowed to continue poultry exports to Russia, but will have to review its chlorine treatment technologies in two or three months. The report cited a respected Russian business daily.

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