Brussels, 31/01/2014 (Agence Europe) - Moscow does not accept the “regionalisation” proposal defended by Brussels to temporarily isolate Lithuanian pig meat, in the context of the outbreak of swine fever.
Health Commissioner Tonio Borg is to travel to Moscow “as soon as possible” to reach a “reasonable solution” with the Russian authorities regarding the issue of African swine fever, detected in two wild boar in Lithuania on 24 January and which led Russia to impose a ban on pork imports from the whole of the EU. In a statement on 31 January, Borg considers the embargo “out of proportion” given the Commission's assurances that the virus outbreak will be contained in southern Lithuania.
Borg deplores the fact that Russia “is not ready to accept”, for now, his proposal of “regionalisation” in accordance with WTO-SPS rules and World Organisation for Animal Health principles. Within this framework, the commissioner has proposed to provisionally exclude the infected areas of the EU from certification of exports of live pigs and pork to Russia.
In his statement, Borg points out that “interim protective measures have been swiftly adopted by the Commission to regionalise the infected area within Lithuania” and that Vilnius “immediately applied all restrictions required by EU legislation”. He states that a Commission team of veterinary experts has been deployed since 28 January to advise the Lithuanian authorities and has been joined by Russian and Belarusian experts and specialists from the World Organisation for Animal Health. Borg also stresses that, although an outbreak was detected in Lithuania, “it appears that the virus in Lithuania originates from a neighbouring non-EU country Ed: Belarus, in fact) where the disease was not contained”.
Russia takes 25% of all EU pig meat exports, importing mainly from Germany, the Netherlands and the bordering member states. The Russian market is worth €1.4 billion. (EH/transl.jl)