RUSSIAN VET SERVICE DELISTS ANOTHER

UNCLAS MOSCOW 003360 SENSITIVE SIPDIS USDA FAS FOR OCRA/KUYPERS; OSTA/HAMILTON, BEAN PASS FSIS/JONES, DUTROW PASS APHIS/MITCHELL STATE FOR EUR/RUS, EB/ATP/SINGER STATE PASS USTR FOR CHATTIN BRUSSELS PASS APHIS/FERNANDEZ VIENNA PASS APHIS/TANAKA GENEVA FOR USTR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAGR ETRD TBIO WTO RS SUBJECT: RUSSIAN VET SERVICE DELISTS ANOTHER U.S. POULTRY PLANT AND A U.S. PORK PLANT SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Russian Federal Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance Service (VPSS) informed via official letter on November 14, 2008, that another U.S. poultry plant (P-13556) and pork plant (#17564) will be delisted as of November 24, 2008. According to the VPSS letter, routine tests revealed the presence of tetracycline in a shipment of chicken quarters and salmonella in a shipment of boneless pork jowls from these plants. The letter requests that the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) conduct an investigation into how product contaminated with residue and salmonella found their way into shipments to Russia. The original scanned copy of the VPSS letter and courtesy translation were sent to FSIS on November 16, ¶2008. An informal embassy translation of the letter follows. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) BEGIN TEXT: Moscow, November 14, 2008 # ??-AS-2/11524 Mr. William James, the Deputy Administrator of the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Dear Mr. James, The Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance extends its respect to the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS),USDA. Antibiotic tetracycline was detected in a shipment of chicken quarters imported from the U.S. to the Russian Federation during monitoring tests of the residues of prohibited and harmful substances (lab test results #2408 of October 22, 2008). The product was manufactured at the U.S. establishment #P-13556 (veterinary certificates