Russia’s agriculture ministry is drafting a government decree that would extend the country’s embargo on imported foods including meat and chicken until the end of 2017. The current embargo against the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia and Norway runs through August 5th. Russia implemented the embargo in mid-2014 and extended it last year in retaliation for sanctions related to the conflict in Ukraine. Meatingplace reports that even if Russia lifted its embargo, meat-exporting countries face additional obstacles to accessing the market. Access to the Russian market was already limited since the country closed its doors to U.S. beef and pork in early 2013. Russia also closed its market to EU pork products in January 2014 due to concerns over cases of African swine fever. A Russian news agency reports Russia’s domestic agricultural producers support the continuation of the embargo.
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