May 23 2003, 14:38 Gazeta.ru

Russia banned imports of beef from Canada

Russian veterinary service May 22 imposed a ban on imports of beef from Canada. According to Russian First Deputy Minister of Agriculture Sergey Dankvert, the decision has been made because of a case of spongiform encephalopathy ("mad cow disease"), detected in that country. A prohibition is imposed on imports to Russia live cattle, foeti, meat and other untreated products, produced from these animals. Besides, there is ban on imports of feeds and feed additives, including processed cattle protein. The ban has been introduced after Canadian vet service officially confirmed the case of the disease, Dankvert said.

He said further developments would depend on what kind of measures Canada assumed to prevent spread of the disease and to ensure safety of the products. "If after some time we see that the assumed measures guarantee the safety of supplies, we will permit imports of beef, but only bone-free one", he said and added that Russia imported beef from European countries on the same conditions. He said he did not rule out that Russia could perform inspection of Canadian suppliers of beef.

Up to now bans on imports of beef from Canada have been introduced by USA, Australia, Mexico, Korea and Japan.