Russia: US to prove absence of ractopamine in pork
Russia has said to the US that it can only restart exports of meat, including pork, to the Russian federation if it supplies additional information about laboratory controls to confirm that ractopamine is not used in production.
In a letter sent by the Deputy Head of the Russian veterinary authority Rosselkhoznadzor Eugene Nepoklonov to the Deputy of Administrator Services Food Safety and Inspection (FSIS) USDA Ronald Jones in response to the US request for the market to reopen, the Russian authority said it requires a full description of the US research methods for ractopamine residues in meat products, including pork, highlighting their sensitivity, the limit of the detection methods and the frequency of monitoring studies.
The letter said that trade could resume if the laboratory techniques were explained and were in line with the national legislation and international agreements.
Rosselkhoznador said that the methods for the detection of residues of ractopamine had to be confirmed by the results of the testing method using high-performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (HPLC).
Currently, Russia permits the detection of residues of ractopamine in products in the range of 0.1-1 mg/kg.
Guidance on the definition of testing of beta-agonists in animal feed, body fluids, organs and tissues of animals, using high performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometric detection have been sent to the US.
In addition, the letter said that Russian authorities are ready to hold technical consultations and Rosselkhoznadzor said it would welcome the resumption of the supply of pork and beef after providing effective guarantees on the absence of ractopamine.
The letter also asked for information about companies interested in supplying their products to the Russian market.
