Meat cannot be linked to swine flu, says US
The Russian government has widened a ban on meat imports from Mexico and parts of the US as it feels they could be linked with the spread of swine flu. However, the US has clearly stated that the virus cannot be contracted by eating meat.
On April 28, Russia's veterinary watchdog Rosselkhodnadzor added New York and Ohio to its banned list, which already included Texas, Kansas and California as well as Mexico itself.
However, the US embassy said: “There is no basis for any import restrictions on US meat products related to concern over swine influenza. We look forward to a quick resumption of normal meat trade with Russia."
The World Health Organization has also stated that the virus does not spread through eating infected pork.
The US exports pork to approximately 80 nations across the world and, in the vast majority of these countries, the market access conditions for US pork exports have not been adversely impacted.
However, there have been some notable exceptions, including Russia and Jordan, and the US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) is working with all sectors of the pork industry and with US trade officials to provide trading partners with updated safety information and to alleviate any consumer concerns about the safety of US pork. It says that, so far, the combination of official and rumoured market suspensions is limited to countries representing about 10% of US pork export volume.
Russia and Jordan are the only countries so far that have suspended trade for meat products other than pork. However, USMEF still considers this to be a serious situation and says it will work closely with trade officials to restore market access as quickly as possible.
