Some pork product exports may soon resume from the European Union (EU) to Russia. That announcement came after a recent meeting between the EU Commission in charge of the veterinary and Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) issues and Russian counterparts in Berlin. The Russian embargo was implemented in August.

The European Livestock and Meat Trades Union (UECBV), welcomes these outcomes, a result of months of dialogue, as the first concrete agreement between the EU and Russia on improving their trade relationship in the livestock sector. They have the potential to restore confidence between the two regions and to provide support to the EU pork market.

Thanks to this constructive dialogue the EU pig farmers and pork industry may restore up to around 40% of the exports to Russia. EU Member States will now start working on the technical specifications for a resumption of the export of some specific products.

Since January 2014, EU Member States have not been allowed to certify live pigs and the products thereof for export to Russia due to a technical issue regarding the veterinary certificate caused by the occurrence of African swine fever in certain Member States (Baltic States, Poland). The EU pig farmers and pork industry lost revenue and turnover because of SPS barriers for export to Russia that, in 2013, absorbed around 25% of the EU pork sector exports or 3% of the EU pork production.