EU/RUSSIA: MOSCOW BANS EU FOOD IMPORTS FOR THREE DAYS IN CERTIFICATE ROW

摘要

The EU's food trade with Russia ground to a halt for three days when Moscow refused to accept EU food safety certificates issued after June 1. Russia agreed to lift its ban on EU animal-based food imports on June 4 when it said it would recognise EU veterinary certificates once again. Russia has been pushing for the EU to introduce a uniform certificate for all meat and dairy products instead of individual documents issued by each of the 25 Member States. Last year it warned that the current system would come to an end on May 1 but it later agreed to extend the deadline by one month. The European Commission said it had believed talks were still ongoing and the Russian decision had taken it by surprise. The EU and Russia will now hold talks to settle the certificate issue and the row should be settled by the end of September. EU animal exports to Russia are worth Euro 1.3 billion every year. Russia is the EU's largest export market for beef and the second-largest for pork and poultry.