MOSCOW, July 31. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia’s veterinary and phytosanitary watchdog (Rosselkhoznadzor) is tightening control over quality of imports of European beef, U.S. poultry and Greek fruit.

Sergei Dankvert, the Rosselkhoznadzor head, said on Thursday the watchdog had suspended its decision to resume import of meat trimmings from the European Union over ractopamine (a growth promoter drug banned both in Russia and in the EU). This drug was previously found in meat products from the United States and a number of other countries, which fact was a ground to ban meat imports from those countries. Now, ractopamine has been found in European meat too.

Early next week, Rosselkhoznadzor plans to hold consultations with the U.S. veterinary services on a possible ban on imports of U.S. poultry, Dankvert said, adding that his agency had already found listeria and salmonella bacteria, as well as lead and aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms in U.S. poultry.

Apart from that, the Rosselkhoznadzor head said that fruit imports from Greece might be restricted next week as well. He said peach fruit moths had been found in eight patches of Greek peaches.

Earlier, Rosselkhoznadzor, which controls imports of edible raw materials, said it was looking at banning fruit imports from a number of EU countries within a period of one to two weeks over Oriental fruit moths. Apart from that, the agency imposed restrictions on imports of a number of fruits from Moldova, on imports of practically all types of vegetables and fruits from Poland and on imports of milk, animal and dairy products, potatoes and vegetable products in luggage and postal parcels from Ukraine.