Russia may reduce poultry import quota 28 Aug 2008

"It is time to change the quota regime and reduce imports, which have unfortunately built up in recent years," said Alexei Gordeyev, reported ITAR-Tass. "Agreements, signed more than three years ago as part of the negotiations on WTO accession, are unfortunately no longer in Russia's interests," he added.

U.S. Poultry and Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) president James Sumner has reportedly said that as yet, Gordeyev's comments have not been followed by any government-to-government discussions.

But, about a month ago, USAPEEC and the Russian Poultry Meat Market Operators Association agreed in principle to reduce the 2009 U.S. tariff quota from 931,500 t to 750,000 t, reports Meatingplace.

"Our office in Moscow thinks it fortuitous we had these discussions. The (U.S. poultry) industry is already anticipating a decrease in exports to Russia," said Sumner, adding that Russia has been increasing its poultry production by 16-17% annually in recent years. Currently, Russia is the largest export market for U.S. chicken, accounting for over 25% of exports.