MOSCOW (AP) – Russian agriculture officials said Friday they had restricted imports of more processed chicken products from Brazil and Germany after finding salmonella.
The restrictions, announced by the agency Rosselkhoznadzor, are the latest to be imposed by Russian authorities on food and other agriculture imports – in particular from the European Union.
Russia’s ban on Polish meat imports is a major point of contention between Moscow and the European Union. The ban, introduced in late 2005, led Warsaw to veto the start of talks on a new EU-Russia partnership agreement.
On Tuesday, Russian officials completed another round of talks with the European Union on the Polish meat and plant ban, saying that they needed more information before considering whether to lift the measure.
In a statement, Rosselkhoznadzor said salmonella had been found in whole chickens imported from Brazil, prompting restrictions against one unnamed Brazilian exporter. Imports from five Brazilian companies were restricted earlier this month after listeria was found in products from four companies and salmonella in a fifth.
The Interfax news agency cited an unnamed Rosselkhoznadzor official as saying Russia would consider halting all meat imports from Brazil due to health concerns. The official also accused Brazil of “deliberately hiding” information on animal diseases there.
Rosselkhoznadzor also said salmonella had been found in various chicken products from four German importers, prompting restrictions on those imports.
There was no immediate reaction to the decision in either Brazil or Germany.
In addition to Brazil and Germany, Rosselkhoznadzor has also banned imports from companies in the United States, France and Uruguay after salmonella was detected.
