Russia said on Wednesday it had blocked meat imports from the European Union in a dispute over veterinary certificates, leaving beef, pork and poultry piling up at ports and threatening millions of dollars in trade.
"From June 1, new veterinary certificates became effective and therefore we have stopped accepting meat shipments from the European Union accompanied by old certificates," a spokeswoman from Russia's agriculture ministry said in Moscow.
Russia originally wanted a deal on a new EU-wide veterinary export certificate by May 1, in time for the bloc's enlargement, but negotiations failed. It extended the deadline to June 1 before suspending imports.
In Brussels, EU officials said they believed the problem was a result of a mix-up.
"We're surprised. We're insisting that the deadline for the certificates be extended beyond June 1," European Commission spokesman Gregor Kreuzhuber said.
"We are now in contact with the Russian authorities to sort this out as soon as possible".
In Moscow, the government spokeswoman confirmed that EU diplomats had held talks at the ministry on Wednesday but said Russia would continue to accept only the new certificates.
"The introduction of the new certificate has not been cancelled. We are waiting for moves on the EU part," she said.
Russia has set red meat and poultry meat import quotas for 2004 as part of a policy to cut food imports and encourage domestic livestock and poultry breeding. The EU is Russia's main supplier of beef, it comes second to Brazil in supplying pork and second to the United States for poultry.
For 2004, the EU may export 205,000 tonnes of poultry meat to Russian markets, 227,300 tonnes of pork, 331,800 tonnes of frozen beef and 27,000 tonnes of fresh beef.
The main meat exporters are Ireland and Germany for beef, Denmark and Spain for pork and France for poultry, the EU's meat trading association UECBV said.
The Republic of Ireland said it could be hit hard by the suspension as it was a significant beef exporter to Russia.
"This is a major disappointment," the Chief Executive of the Irish Meat Association Cormac Healy told Reuters.
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