MOSCOW, August 20 (RIA Novosti) - Chinese and Indian meat is to replace banned pork and beef exports from the West, which will not succeed in reclaiming its position on the Russian market if the embargo is lifted, Russia’s relevant authority said Wednesday.
“For example, Russia’s Far East used to be heavily reliant on meat supplies from the United States and Canada. Now that [we are] actively cooperating with China’s veterinary authorities on … pork supplies from certain highly-integrated Chinese enterprises, the US and Canadian suppliers will not be able to come back,” Sergei Dankvert, the head of Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor), said in a statement released on the agency’s website.
According to data from Russia’s Federal Customs Service, Moscow imported 619,200 tons of pork for $2.13 billion in 2013. Brazil, Denmark, Germany and Canada were the principal suppliers of the meat. Canada exported 79,300 tons of pork to Russia in 2013 for $246.3 million, while US pork exports had reached $19 million per year.
In 2013, Russia imported 658,400 tons of cooled and frozen meat, valued at $2.87 billion, with Belarus and Brazil among the top exporters.
On August 7, Moscow banned the importation of certain food and agricultural products from EU member states, the United States, Canada, Australia and Norway, all of which had previously imposed economic sanctions against Russia. The list includes beef, pork, fruit and vegetables, poultry, cheese and dairy products, and a number of other items.
