To Russia with U.S. pork

To Russia with U.S. pork    The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday announced it has reached an agreement with the Russian government to reopen the Russian market to U.S. pork and pork products.
   'Reopening the market with Russia — our fifth-largest market last year — is excellent news for American hog producers,' said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a statement.
   According to the USDA, the U.S. exported about 20 percent of its pork production in 2009 and Russia imported $257 million worth, or 6 percent, of U.S. pork and pork variety meats last year.

Vilsack

   The USDA and Office of the U.S. Trade Representative have been negotiating with the Russian Veterinary Service since December 2009 when Russia notified USDA of its intent to restrict pork shipments from 13 U.S. pork plants, which accounted for more than 90 percent of U.S. exports to Russia.
   These negotiations led to the development of a new veterinary certificate to ensure that pork exports from the United States meet specific Russian microbiological and tetracycline-group antibiotic residue requirements, the USDA said.
   The USDA said the next step is for U.S. plants that want to export to Russia to apply for approval with the Agricultural Marketing Service. The USDA agency, in collaboration with the Food Safety and Inspection Service, has developed an Export Verification program for pork to Russia to address specific product requirements.
   In addition to pork, the USDA and USTR hope to restore U.S. poultry exports to Russia. 'Talks on poultry have been constructive and technical discussions will continue in the coming weeks,' the USDA said.