World meat industry news

The introduction of bans on the import of agricultural products and the import substitution policy pursued by Moscow does not comply with the rules applicable to the member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO). This is stated in a report published on the website of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).

The report to the Congress on Russia’s compliance with WTO requirements, which is submitted annually by USTR, states that in 2021 Russia introduced new systems for tracking shipments of goods along supply chains and maintained restrictions on imports of agricultural products that are not based on scientific data.

“Over the past year, the Russian economy has continued to move along a trajectory that departs from the main principles on which the WTO is based: non-discrimination, free trade, predictability, transparency and fair competition,” the USTR report says, “Instead, Russia maintains restrictive measures, introduces import restriction measures and pursues an industrial policy that, apparently, is based on the principles of import substitution and forced localization.”

The United States expressed concern about Russia’s actions and “will use all appropriate means to resolve this issue and keep Russia’s markets open for exports from the United States,” USTR said.

The report notes that the bilateral work of the United States with Russia on agricultural trade has been limited since 2014 due to Moscow’s actions in eastern Ukraine, and the WTO leadership has not sufficiently contributed to the removal of obstacles to trade established by Russia.

The report does not mention any new trade measures that the United States may take against Russia in the event of an invasion of Ukraine. If this happens, the U.S. authorities are considering taking tough measures in the field of export control to hit the Russian economy, a representative of the Joe Biden administration said in a conversation with Reuters. Washington, in particular, may limit Moscow’s ability to import smartphones, airplanes, auto parts and other materials.