Beef supplies to Russia from five plants in Argentina and two plants in Paraguay will be temporarily banned starting from Dec. 18, Russia’s agriculture safety watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor said on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
The agency also said it could widen these restrictions.
Rosselkhoznadzor said in a statement it found ractopamine, a feed additive that is banned in Russia, in some shipments. Its officials will hold talks with their counterparts from Argentina and Paraguay on Dec. 6.
“The service also does not rule out that a decision may be made to impose restrictions on imports of beef and cattle meat products from all enterprises of these countries,” it said in the statement.
Ractopamine allows livestock to grow at a faster rate while consuming less feed. It is banned in many countries including Russia and the European Union.
The watchdog said last week it had removed temporary restrictions on beef supplies to Russia from two plants in Brazil.
The five to-be-restricted plants in Argentina include those owned by Azul Natural Beef S.A., Frigorifico General Pico S.A., Frigorifico H.V. S.A., Matadero y Frigorifico EL Mercedino S.A. and Rafaela Alimentos, while the two in Paraguay are Frigorifico Norte S.A. and Tripera Paraguaya S.A.
