Russia to ban EU animal imports
Russia has told the European Union it intends to ban all animal product imports from the EU from January 1 because Moscow claims new members Bulgaria and Romania have poor animal health standards, the European Commission said today.
Commission spokesman Philip Tod told reporters that the Russians had informed the EU’s executive office “of their intention to ban EU animal product exports” starting January 1 when the two Balkan nations are set to join.
The decision, relayed to Brsels on November 3, complicates already touchy relations before a summit on Friday between President Vladimir Putin and EU leaders.
Russia already bans meat and some plant imports from Poland. Unless that is lifted, the Poles say they will bloc the launch of talks on a new agreement to tighten political and economic ties between Russia and the EU.
Tod said the EU had taken steps to protect safety standards after Romania and Bulgaria join.
“We would not regard such a measure as justified or necessary,” he said. “The EU has taken all necessary measures to ensure the protection of animal health.”
In Moscow, Russia’s Veterinary and Phytosanitary Control Service, Rosselkhoznadzor, confirmed it has warned the EU that Russia could stop issuing licences for EU imports as of January 1 if it does not receive guarantees of the safety and quality of meat imported from Bulgaria and Romania, Russian news agencies reported.
Rosselkhoznadzor officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Russian EU envoy Sergei Yastrzhembsky said Bulgaria and Romania must abide by rules on meat and plant imports. In a news conference held in Moscow ahead of the summit, he suggested the two new countries had to meet rules that are accepted by both the EU and Russia.
“Of course we would like to do without any bans,” he said, adding that bans re “the last resort, for cases when, unfortunately, persuasion brings no result.”
Tod said checks were in place to prevent animal products that did not meet EU food safety standards from reaching the EU market, let alone export markets. Romania and Bulgaria have both suffered from outbreaks of swine fever and faced hygiene issues connected to handling of meat.
“We are fully confident that Romania and Bulgaria are ready to assume the responsibilities of membership and there is no risk to the ... market,” Tod said. “That is what we explained to Russian authorities in writing, and we have offered to send experts to Moscow to explain.”
EU officials were pessimistic that a deal could be reached before Friday to address Poland’s concerns over the Russian ban on some Polish meat and plants. EU ambassadors were continuing talks on the issue today, officials said.
Warsaw insisted on Monday that it had done everything to maintain sanitary standards in its meat industry and urged Moscow to make the next move.
Russia imposed that ban late last year over fears of what it said were failing hygiene standards. Tod said a team of EU experts were still in Warsaw to help resolve the dispute and were to report back tomorrow to verify whether Poland continues to respect EU sanitation standards.
The EU wants to forge closer ties with Moscow, notably on agreeing to fairer trade rules for energy that would mirror those of the 1998 international Energy Charter, which Russia signed but never ratified.
European officials fear that without a rule book on energy ties Russia will continue to favour national energy companies over international firms.
