After US poultry producers let out a sigh of relief as Russia agreed to once again accept poultry imports, today Russia introduced a new snag with a fresh list of demands.
Trade Representative Ron Kirk said, "We had poultry packed and ready to go, and then we heard of this new challenge.”
What are the challenges? Reports are vague at best. The Russian news agency The Moscow Times is reporting "technical issues" and not much beyond that. This is especially frustrating to companies like Sanderson and Pilgrim's Pride, who were hoping the flow of product into Russia would help improve their profits after huge losses the past few years.
The US government is watching the situation closely, and we will continue to update this blog as progress is made.
Further Reading:
Meat Trade News Daily on the US/Russia approved plants
Rueters on the latest with Russia's 'issues'
BusinessWeek has an in-depth look at the situation
