Russia Opening To Canadian Cattle Trade

OTTAWA - Oct 20/06 - SNS -- The Russian Federation has lifted its ban on imports of Canadian breeding cattle.

The Russian Federation has also indicated that it intends to lift its ban on the importation of certain boneless beef products, subject to final approval of technical conditions. Russian officials will visit Canada to approve beef plants and shipments of live cattle.

Discussions were held in Moscow regarding close cooperation between Canada and the Russian Federation on the development of Russia's livestock sector.

Both sides agreed to form an Agribusiness working group under the umbrella of the Canada-Russia Intergovernmental Economic Commission (IEC), with an initial focus on livestock. The IEC is a bilateral initiative created in 1993 under the terms of the Canada-Russia Agreement on Economic Cooperation to promote trade and economic relations between Canada and the Russian Federation.

Before the detection of Canada's first case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in May 2003, Russian imports of Canadian breeding cattle and beef were more than $4 million. The agreement on export certificates for breeding cattle and boneless beef is a first step in fully restoring and developing greater trade with the Russian Federation in the future.