World meat industry news

The Subcommittee on Customs Tariff and Non-Tariff Regulation, Protective Measures in Foreign Trade of the Government Commission for Economic Development and Integration supported the proposal of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation to introduce tariff quotas on the import of frozen meat of cattle (beef) and pork. The decision is taken as part of comprehensive measures to stabilize domestic prices for socially significant products and is aimed at ensuring food security in Russia.

In particular, it is planned to provide a tariff concession in the form of exemption from import customs duties in 2022 in relation to frozen beef imported into the Russian Federation in the amount of not more than 200 thousand tons. For frozen pork, it is planned to set a quota of no more than 100 thousand tons from January 1 to June 31, 2022. In this case, the condition for the application of the privilege will be the intended purpose - the processing of meat on the territory of the Russian Federation (by analogy with the current tariff quota for the import of white sugar into the Russian Federation).

According to Rosstat, the prices of domestic producers for beef, including frozen, in recent months have been at their maximum level over the past 5 years. In turn, the consumer price for boneless beef in August 2021 amounted to 548.5 rubles / kg and increased by 9.5% in ruble terms compared to the same period last year and by 7.2% in January 2021. an increase in the cost of beef production, caused, first of all, by an increase in prices for the main components of compound feed (barley, wheat, corn, meal), veterinary drugs, breeding products, as well as fuel and lubricants and electricity. It should be noted that such a rise in prices is a global trend.

As noted in the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia, the introduction of import quotas is a temporary measure that will allow meeting the needs of the population for meat products, as well as maintaining a stable price situation for socially significant food products. The ministry expects an increase in meat production in Russia in 2022, and the abolition of these quotas.

The subcommittee also supported the initiative to include certain types of magnetic resonance imaging machines and magnetic resonance imaging systems in the list of goods, the import of which into the territory of the Eurasian Economic Union does not require a special license or permit.

Another decision was to extend the exclusion from special economic measures for 2022 of whey powder with a demineralization level of at least 90%, used in the production of infant formula (breast milk substitutes).

Initiatives on the above three points will be sent to the Eurasian Economic Commission.

In addition, the subcommittee supported the proposal of the Ministry of Finance of Russia to introduce a temporary ban on the export from the Russian Federation of waste and scrap of precious metals or metals clad with precious metals, other waste and scrap containing precious metal or compounds of precious metals used mainly for the extraction of precious metals. It is planned that the measure will be in effect from January 1 to June 30, 2022.

Precious metals are the most important type of military-strategic and industrial raw materials, without which the operation of enterprises of the military-industrial complex, electronics, civil aircraft, automotive, petrochemical, jewelry industries and many other industries is impossible. The introduction of a temporary ban on the export of scrap and waste of precious metals will allow to suppress the illegal practice of exporting raw materials with a high content of precious metals from the territory of the country under the guise of raw materials with a low content.