Russia mulls restrictions on US poultry over Salmonella worries

Russiais considering restricting imports of poultry from the United States, citingfears of Salmonella.

Russia is considering restricting imports of poultry from the United States, citing fears of Salmonella. If trade restrictions are approved, Rosselkhoznadzor, the Russian federal service for veterinary and phytosanitary surveillance, could implement them within the next several weeks, according to a report from RIA Novosti.

“At the moment this dangerous disease has spread to half of U.S. states and into numerous poultry farms. This cannot fail to arouse our concerns. This may become a reason to introduce restrictions,” stated Alexey Alexeenko, head of Rosselkhoznadzor.

According to the latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) As of July 2, 621 individuals infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Heidelberg had been reported from 29 states and Puerto Rico since March 1, 2013. The outbreak was tied to chicken processed at three Foster Farms plants in California.

If the Russian agency implements the trade restrictions on U.S. poultry, it will not be the first in recent months. Rosselkhoznadzor in April suspended the shipments of poultry from California, RIA Novosti reported, after a case of low pathogenic H5 avian influenza was discovered. The case involved a layer flock of Japanese quail in California’s Stanislaus County and has since been resolved, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

Page 1 of 355
Next Page