You're reading: Russia may ban meat and dairy imports from various German companies

MOSCOW - Russian agriculture watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor may ban meat and dairy imports from several German companies, if the German veterinary service does not agree on the dates for inspections of these companies by Customs Union specialists.

Rosselkhoznadzor said it had asked the German federal veterinary
service to accept a group of Customs Union inspectors to check various
German meat and dairy companies.

“We proposed starting the inspection next week, any day from July 23,
but Germany has not confirmed it is willing to accept the inspectors,”
Rosselkhoznadzor spokesman Alexei Alekseyenko told Interfax.

The Russian watchdog was therefore forced to notify the German
veterinary service that if it did not confirm next week that it would
accept the Customs Union inspectors restrictive measures would be
imposed on the companies at which the inspections were planned.

Two-week inspections at several dozen companies are planned, Alekseyenko said.

Meat and dairy imports from Germany were discussed among other issues
at talks in Moscow between Rosselkhoznadzor and the Belarusian
veterinary service with representatives from the EC Directorate-General
for Health and Consumers (DG SANCO). The talks covered the results of
inspections carried out this year on Germany’s product safety management
system for goods going to the Customs Union. Several shortcomings were
identified, the watchdog said.