BELGIUM/ FILE: EU says it hasn't received a letter from Russia threatening to ban EU meat.

EU says it hasn't received a letter from Russia threatening to ban EU meat. European Union food safety experts have yet to receive a letter from Russia that threatens to ban meat imports from several EU countries from March 31, the European Commission said on Friday (March 2). "We have not received any official letter from the Russian authorities. So, we have followed up with them and we understand that a fax is on its way," Commission spokesman Philip Tod told a daily news briefing. "As soon as we've received and read that fax, then we will prepare to reply to the Russian authorities," he said. In a statement issued in Moscow, Russia's animal and plant health watchdog, Rosselkhoznadzor, said it had asked veterinary services from several EU states to increase control over exports to prevent violations of Russian safety standards. The agency said that in despite of this, some shipments of products of animal origin imported to Russia from Europe in 2007 did not match Russian veterinary standards. Rosselkhoznadzor said it had sent a letter to the Commission asking that it present by March 31 plans for monitoring residues of dangerous and banned substances in live animals, products and feed. It also wants the results of monitoring last year. Tod said he regretted that the Commission had heard of the Russian move via the media, so was unable to comment further. "We have a Veterinary memorandum of understanding with the Russian authorities which...structures our relationship with them, and...we prefer to deal with the Russian authorities through that structure and not be communicating through the media," he said. Safety of meat and plant products has been souring relations between Russia and the EU for several years since the bloc started adopting new members, through which, Russia has said, animal and plant products of doubtful origin could be shipped. At the end of 2006, Russia threatened to cut some meat and plant exports from the EU from this year as it was unsure new EU members Bulgaria and Romania met food safety standards. EU veterinary experts will travel to Moscow this month in a bid to resolve a year-long dispute between Russia and Poland over meat shipments from that EU country.

ITN Source | March 5, 2007

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