Despite June outbreaks of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) in several regions of Russia, Ukrainian authorities have not yet banned potentially affected products. Officials claim they are waiting for further information. Meanwhile, Belarus banned cattle imports from Russia in early July.
The
outbreak of FMD was first noticed by Russian veterinary service
Rosselkhoznadzor at the beginning of June in the Karachayevo-Cherkesskaya Republic. Later in June another outbreak took
place in Krasnodar Krai, close to the Ukrainian border. With the outbreak still
not overcome, on July 9 Belarus decided to ban cattle imports from Russia.
Ukraine, however, is
still on the fence. A decision is expected by the end of the week, Agriculture
Deputy Minister Ivan Bisiuk told the Kyiv Post. Officials say that, unlike
Belarus, Ukraine’s main problem is not meat, but grain, which is one of the
carriers of the disease. It transits through Ukraine directly from Krasnodar
Krai. The disease can persist in the environment for several months.
Bisiuk says
he had a phone conversation with the head of Rosselkhoznadzor Sergey Dankvert on
July 3, and was informed about FMD outbreaks in Russia, but he is still waiting
for an official report on this issue. Nor is FMD the only problem – 52
outbreaks of African Swine Fever have been reported in Russia this year.
“Last year
we agreed that the Russian side will inform Ukraine in the accompanying
documents (veterinary certificates) that the grain comes from areas, safe from African
swine fever. At the moment the problem of the FMD in Krasnodar Krai was added.
This has raised concerns, because Ukraine as a major exporter of grain does not
want to fall under the prohibition of some other countries,” Bisiuk said. “We
are waiting for Rosselhoznadzor confirmation today or tomorrow and after that
at the meeting of the state emergency anti-epizootic committee we will decide
(to ban grain transit or not).”
“At the
moment Ukraine is free from FMD. Therefore, we will stand up for appropriate
measures at all levels,” deputy head of Ukrainian State Veterinary Service
Vitaliy Bashynsky told on July 12.
A grain
transit ban shouldn’t be a major problem for Ukrainian ports specialized in
grain handling, officials believe. According to Bisiuk, only 8.3 thousand tons
from this year’s Russian grain harvest transited through Ukraine. Meanwhile, 300
thousand tons of Ukrainian grain were exported just in the first 12 days of July.
Nonetheless,
Ukraine’s reaction to the potential food safety problems in Russia is very
contained, especially when considering the many times that Russia has banned
Ukrainian products, also for alleged safety purposes. One of the more recent
cases was connected to poultry exports, when production from several big
Ukrainian agro holdings was banned for about a month this spring.
Kyiv Post staff writer Kateryna Kapliuk can be reached at [email protected].
