A new round of talks on U.S. poultry supplies...
Gennady Onishchenko said the talks would take place in Moscow. The previous round of discussions ended on January 19, and Onishchenko had said he was ready for new talks as soon as possible.
Russia banned imports of U.S. chlorine-treated poultry as of January 1, citing new sanitary requirements. The United States, which supplied 22% of poultry consumed in Russia last year, says the move will damage the U.S. poultry industry and push prices up for Russian consumers.
The new requirements, which apply to both imports and meat processed in Russia, state that the amount of chlorine in the solution used for the processing of poultry meat should not exceed the level set for drinking water, 0.3-0.5 milligrams per liter. They also state the fluid that separates when defrosting the meat should not exceed 4% of the total weight of the bird.
Chlorine has been used as the primary anti-microbial treatment in the United States for a quarter of a century.