Russia lifts ban on Ukrainian meat firm
At the same time, Rosselkhoznadzor said it would leave in place restrictions on the import of other products, particularly poultry, produced by Tavr-Plus – which is Ukraine’s third-largest meat producer.
Rosselkhoznadzor claimed the restrictions on imports from Tavr–Plus and another Ukrainian company, Pryłuki, were imposed in October on food safety grounds. A report from the watchdog said listeria had been found in products from Tavr–Plus.
However, experts have suggested that the restrictions were imposed as a prelude to a trade war, which would begin if Ukraine were to sign a free trade zone agreement with the EU. Ukraine was due to sign the agreement at a summit in Vilnius on 28 November, but decided to abandon it and take the course of rapprochement with Russia. This provoked protests from citizens across Ukraine, which continue today.
In a bid to resolve trade issues between the two countries, Russia and Ukraine have now created a special bilateral intergovernmental commission. According to Ukraine’s commissioner for co-operation with the Russian Federation and CIS countries Valery Muntiyan, the first meeting will take place in Moscow on 17 December and will focus on 16 issues, including the elimination of all existing trade barriers.
“The main and the first question to be submitted is the elimination of trade restrictions. From our side, there are seven such restrictions, from the Russian side – nine. We advocate that these trade restrictions should be lifted, as they adversely affect our trade relations,” said Muntiyan.
