WASHINGTON, February 11 (Itar-Tass) – The United States said Russia has violated its WTO obligations by imposing a ban on the import of American meat, according to a joint statement by United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk and United States Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday, February 11.
Earlier in the day, the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phyrosanitary Inspection (Rosselkhoznadzor) imposed restrictions on the import of U.S. turkey meat. American beef and pork imports have been banned since February 4 over the use of ractopamine, residues of which remain in the meat and, according to Rosselkhoznadzor, can be harmful for people.
“The United States is very disappointed that Russia has taken action to suspend all imports of U.S. meat, which is produced to the highest safety standards in the world. Russia has disregarded the extensive and expert scientific studies conducted by the international food safety standards body, the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which has repeatedly concluded that animal feed containing the additive ractopamine is completely safe for livestock and for humans that consume their meat. Russia’s failure to adopt the Codex standard raises questions about its commitment to the global trading system. Despite repeated U.S. requests to discuss the safety of ractopamine, Russia has refused to engage in any constructive dialogue and instead has simply suspended U.S. meat imports. The United States calls on Russia to restore market access for U.S. meat and meat products immediately and to abide by its obligations as a Member of the World Trade Organisation,” the joint statement said.
As of February 11, 2013, Russia is prohibiting imports of all U.S. beef, pork, turkey and other meat products by requiring a zero tolerance for the presence of ractopamine.
Ractopamine is a safe additive for animal feed that is used in 27 countries, and has been shown to be completely safe at levels established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the United Nation’s Codex Alimentarius Commission, the preeminent food safety international standards organisation, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said.