UPDATE: China starts lifting Russian beef, poultry import curbs

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MOSCOW, Jul 5 (PRIME) -- China has started procedures to lift restrictions on supplies of Russian beef and poultry, Russia’s Federal Veterinary and Phytosanitary Oversight Service said in a statement Tuesday after a meeting of a Russian–Chinese working group.

‘The sides have agreed that the Chinese side will initiate a procedure to abolish prohibition of beef, poultry and byproducts supplies from the zones free from the foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination in accordance with the rules of the World Organization for Animal Health, and also to abolish bird flu-related restrictions,” the service said.

In 2000, China banned imports of some Russian meat due to outbreaks of the foot-and-mouth disease. The ban was extended in 2005 due to avian influenza, in 2008 due to African swine fever, and in 2015 due to nodular dermatitis. In October 2015, a Chinese delegation visited Russia and found no serious faults in production of beef and pork, but the ban was not lifted then.

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