Brussels, 12/10/2015 (Agence Europe) - During his visit to Russia on Thursday 8 and Friday 9 October, French Agriculture Minister Stéphane Le Foll “raised the issue of the Russian embargo imposed on health grounds on pork products (fat and offal) from European Union producers”, said the French Ministry of Agriculture in a press release on Friday 9 October 2015.
The ministry pointed out that “his visit was carried out in cooperation with the European Commission as to the objectives being pursued and that France was acting as a facilitator to resumption of negotiations”. Following on from the discussions, the ministry announced that “the two ministers held a constructive dialogue. They discussed the possibility of talks to be held very soon on re-opening dialogue with a view to lifting the embargo between the Russian Federation and the European Union”.
“Progress is being made on lifting the embargo on a regional basis. It would not affect the whole of Europe”, Le Foll told AFP following his talks with Alexander Tkachyov. “There is a possibility of opening talks with Russia. They have to be structured”, Le Foll added. Those close to him suggested that “not much is needed for the embargo to be lifted”.
In February 2014, Russia put in place an embargo, for health reasons, on European pigmeat, before extending to all European agri-food products in August, in response to the sanctions imposed by the European Union after the Ukrainian crisis. The Russian ban on imports is a factor in the fall in pork prices in some EU countries. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)