RUSSIA BLOCKS IMPORTS OF U.S. MEAT AND

UNCLAS MOSCOW 001150

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

USDA FAS FOR OCRA/KUYPERS, RIKER; OSTA/BEAN,
HAMILTON, HAXTON; ONA/TING, SALLYARDS
PASS FSIS DUTROW, HARRIES
PASS APHIS BURLESON
STATE FOR EUR/RUS
STATE PASS USTR FOR CHATTIN, HAFNER, MURPHY
BRUSSELS PASS APHIS/FERNANDEZ
VIENNA PASS APHIS/MITCHELL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR ETRD ECON WTO RS
SUBJECT: RUSSIA BLOCKS IMPORTS OF U.S. MEAT AND
POULTRY OVER INFLUENZA A H1N1

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Russian Federal Veterinary
and Phytosanitary Surveillance Service (VPSS)
advised via official letter that several U.S.
states have been restricted from exporting meat
and poultry to Russia resulting from human cases
of influenza A H1N1. California, New York, Texas
and South Carolina are temporarily restricted
from exporting all types of fresh/frozen meat and
poultry products to Russia. Thirteen additional
states (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware,
Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, New Jersey,
New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Florida) have
been temporarily restricted from exporting all
fresh/frozen pork and pork products to Russia.
Russian Chief Vet Nikolay Vlasov informed Post
that the list of U.S. states facing restrictions
will be updated regularly depending on new
information provided by USDA and the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). END
SUMMARY.

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RISK ZONE 1
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2. (U) VPSS has implemented a "risk zone" system
when discussing trade restrictions placed on meat
and poultry products from countries where human
cases of H1N1 have been confirmed. Zone 1 means
that temporary restrictions are in force on all
types of fresh/frozen meat and poultry (as well
as on all processed meat and poultry products
that have not been heat-treated at a minimum
temperature of 80 degrees Celsius during not less
then 30 minutes). U.S. states of Texas,
California, New York and South Carolina fall in
this category as of April 21. The restrictions
on Texas, New York and California cover all meat
and poultry products that were
produced/slaughtered after April 21, 2009. The
restrictions on South Carolina cover all meat and
poultry products produced/slaughtered after May

4. In addition, VPSS announced that transit of
all meat and poultry products for loading at
ports is permitted in zone 1 as is the use of
cold storage warehouses.

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RISK ZONE 2
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3. (U) Several countries and U.S. states have
been placed in zone 2. This category restricts
all fresh and frozen pork and pork products, and
processed pork products that have not been heat-
treated at a minimum temperature of 80 degrees
Celsius for at least 30 minutes. Alabama,
Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana,
Kansas, Louisiana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio,
Oklahoma, and Florida have all been placed in
zone 2. The restrictions on all of these states
cover pork products that were
produced/slaughtered after April 24 (except
Delaware after May 5). In addition, VPSS
announced that transit of all pork products for
loading at ports is permitted in zone 1 as is the
use of cold storage warehouses.

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BACKGROUND
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3. (SBU) As of May 4, the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed
279 human cases of influenza A H1N1 in the United
States in 36 states. Most U.S. cases have been
mild in nature with only one death reported in

Texas. Influenza A H1N1 is being spread person
to person. None of the confirmed human cases in
the United States was the result of exposure to
swine and the CDC, the World Health Organization
(WHO) and the World Organization for Animal
Health (OIE) and the World Trade Organization
(WTO) all state that there is no evidence that
this virus is transmitted by consuming meat
products that have been properly handled and
cooked. There have been no reports of this
influenza A H1N1 isolate occurring in live pigs
in the United States. A network of Federal
veterinarians, state animal health officials and
private practitioners are regularly involved with
monitoring U.S. swine for signs of significant
disease.

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INFO NEEDED
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4. (SBU) Russian Chief Veterinary Officer Nikolay
Vlasov informed AGR via telephone on April 29
that tremendous pressure came from above
(Kremlin) to restrict meat shipments from
countries affected by H1N1 as a precautionary
approach. Once GOR began receiving more and more
scientific data that the restrictions were not
warranted, Vlasov stated that he would order the
lifting of restrictions "little by little".
Vlasov is surely aware that there is no
scientific evidence showing that the virus can
spread from properly handling and cooking meat
products. Vlasov is the Russian delegate at the
OIE and one of Russia's most respected
scientists. Since then, Vlasov has called AGR
everyday to discuss what he needs to know before
he can begin lifting restrictions placed on meat
and poultry products from U.S. states.
Since April 28, this approach has been working as
several U.S. states were removed from both zones
after USDA provided detailed information to
Vlasov and his team.


5. (SBU) Vlasov emphasized in a recent phone call
that he would like to receive more scientific
information about whether or not the H1N1 virus
can spread from pig to pig and from pigs to
humans. Vlasov stated that he was aware that CDC
and USDA were doing research in this area and
asked that he be provided the results of the
research as quickly as possible. Vlasov also
stated that he was ready to move Texas,
California, New York and South Carolina from zone
1 to zone 2 after getting more information about
what additional steps USDA is taking to monitor
the health of pigs (cows, chickens, horses, etc)
in farms and what additional steps USG is taking
to monitor the health of people who work in the
U.S. meat and poultry industries (particularly
those who work in farms and slaughterhouses) in
those states.

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GOR TACKLES H1N1
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6. (SBU) PM Vladimir Putin ordered a "Government
Commission on Preventing the Spread of Swine Flu
Dissemination in the Russian Federation", which
was held on April 29. The commission decided,
among other things, to restrict pork and pork
products that have not been heat-treated, from
countries affected by swine flu until June 1,

2009. "Measures that are being taken to prevent
the so-called 'swine flu' dissemination on the
territory of the Russian Federation are
preventive and adequately correspond to the level
of threat that has been determined by the World

Health Organization and the relevant Russian
agencies", said First Deputy Prime Minister
Viktor Zubkov who chaired the Commission.

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DEMARCHE DELIVERED
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7. (SBU) AGR delivered a demarche to Vlasov on
May 4 and requested that current restrictions
placed on U.S. meat and poultry products be
lifted immediately. Vlasov stated that he was
been ordered to keep restrictions placed on pork
and pork products from countries where human
cases of H1N1 have been detected until June 1
(resulting from the governmental commission on
swine flu). He stated that the only way for him
to lift the restrictions before June 1 is if he
were to receive scientific evidence about how the
virus spreads and whether or not the virus
spreads among pig herds and from pigs to humans.
Depending on the information received from
research in the area, and assuming that the
evidence pointed to minimal risk, Vlasov agreed
to advise the Kremlin that restrictions were no
longer necessary and should be removed. Until
then, Vlasov stated, that his hands were tied.

BEYRLE