June 2 2003, 15:49 UkrInform

Russian veterinaries will not ban imports of beef from Ukraine because of an anthrax case

Russian veterinary service will not be imposing ban on imports of beef from Ukraine because of one case of anthrax infected meet detected there, press-service of Russian agriculture ministry informed today, according to Ukrinform news agency. All the livestock products imported to Russia from Ukraine are carefully controlled at the border and meet all the sanitary certification requirements, Russian veterinaries said to Ukrinform.

At the same time, although meet and other livestock products are supplied to Russia from industrial processing plants of Ukraine, a source in Russian agriculture ministry said that meat and meat products were also in insignificant amounts supplied to different locations in Russia by private persons form Ukraine. Therefore, the ministry cannot guarantee quality and safety of the products, supplied without proper sanitary control, which are often sold off hand at "flea markets", i.e. near Kievsky Railway Station in Moscow, the unnamed source said.

On Friday Odessa veterinary control service detected spores of anthrax in beef, delivered to a local market from neighbouring Nikolayev Oblast. According to the Head of Odessa Regional Veterinary Service Ivan Pustovit, the carcass, brought by a private person and accompanied by counterfeited documents, was immediately confiscated and destroyed. No traces of infection were detected after sanitary treatment of the market.