MOSCOW (AP) _ Russia has widened a ban on meat imports from Mexico and some states in the United States because of swine fever fears, has but prompted objections from the U.S.
Rosselkhodnadzor, Russia’s veterinary watchdog, on Tuesday added New York and Ohio to the list of U.S. states barred from exporting meat into Russia. Earlier, Russia banned meat products from Mexico and three U.S. states as the number of swine flu cases, believed to have originated in Mexico, started to escalate in the region and cross international borders.
But the U.S. slammed the ban, saying the disease is not spread through meat products. A statement from the U.S. Embassy says “there is no basis for any import restrictions on U.S. meat products related to concern over swine influenza.”
