Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09MOSCOW265
2009-02-03 13:05:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Moscow
Cable title:
RUSSIAN VET SERVICE STOPS SHIPMENTS OF
how-toVZCZCXYZ0003 PP RUEHWEB DE RUEHMO #0265/01 0341305 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 031305Z FEB 09 FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW TO RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC PRIORITY 5436 RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1757 INFO RUEHVI/AMEMBASSY VIENNA 4706 RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 5264
UNCLAS MOSCOW 000265
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
USDA FAS FOR OCRA/KUYPERS; OSTA/HAMILTON, BEAN;
ONA/TING, SALLYARDS, MURPHY
PASS APHIS MITCHELL, BURLESON, TANIEWSKI
STATE FOR EUR/RUS
STATE PASS USTR FOR CHATTIN
BRUSSELS PASS APHIS/FERNANDEZ
VIENNA PASS APHIS/TANAKA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR ETRD ECON WTO RS
SUBJECT: RUSSIAN VET SERVICE STOPS SHIPMENTS OF
U.S. PET FOOD AND ANIMAL FEED
REF: A) SMITH/KUYPERS EMAIL 12/29/08
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLAS MOSCOW 000265
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
USDA FAS FOR OCRA/KUYPERS; OSTA/HAMILTON, BEAN;
ONA/TING, SALLYARDS, MURPHY
PASS APHIS MITCHELL, BURLESON, TANIEWSKI
STATE FOR EUR/RUS
STATE PASS USTR FOR CHATTIN
BRUSSELS PASS APHIS/FERNANDEZ
VIENNA PASS APHIS/TANAKA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR ETRD ECON WTO RS
SUBJECT: RUSSIAN VET SERVICE STOPS SHIPMENTS OF
U.S. PET FOOD AND ANIMAL FEED
REF: A) SMITH/KUYPERS EMAIL 12/29/08
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Russian Federal Veterinary
and Phytosanitary Surveillance Service (VPSS) has
halted trade of U.S. pet food, animal feed and
animal feed additives as of January 1, 2009.
VPSS officials have advised that trade can resume
only after USDA's Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS) provides lists of U.S.
manufacturers that currently export to Russia.
In late December of 2008, USDA received a letter
from VPSS with a reminder of an impending ban if
the lists were not provided. The original
scanned copy of the letter and courtesy
translation were sent to FAS/OCRA on December 29,
2008 (REF A). An informal embassy translation of
the letter follows. END SUMMARY.
2. (SBU) BEGIN TEXT:
Moscow, December 26, 2008
No. FS-NV-2/13281
Dr. Robert Tanaka,
Area Director for Eastern Europe
USDA Animal and Plant Inspection Service
The Federal Veterinary and Phytosanitary
Surveillance Service (VPSS) extends its regards
to the USDA Animal and Plant Inspection Service
(APHIS) and informs you of the following:
In our letters FS-AS-2/11553 dated November 14,
2008, and FS-NV-2/12384 dated December 5, 2008,
VPSS informed about the necessity of receiving
lists of the U.S. manufacturers of animal feed
and feed additives that are exporting products to
the Russian Federation and that currently have
contracts with Russian partners for shipping such
products. In addition, we requested guarantees
that these facilities are under permanent control
of the U.S. veterinary service and that they will
fulfill in the full scale all Russian veterinary-
sanitary requirements and norms.
To date the U.S. side has not provided us with
the above-mentioned lists of U.S. establishments.
This lack of action on your behalf will lead to a
serious barrier to trade of animal feed and feed
additives between our countries. VPSS will not
be able to issue import permits for shipments of
feed as of 2009 from the United States to the
Russian Federation until the mentioned materials
have been provided.
Please accept, Mr. Tanaka, assurances of my deep
respect for you.
Deputy Head
N.A. Vlasov
END TEXT.
3. (SBU) In early January 2009, VPSS advised Post
that the request for a list of U.S. animal feed
facilities exporting to Russia included pet food
even though it was not specifically mentioned in
any of the three letters sent to APHIS since
November 2008. Post received assurances from
VPSS officials that initial lists of U.S. pet
food and animal feed manufacturers do not need to
be complete and can be modified at any time by
APHIS. Until these lists are provided, VPSS will
not issue import permits keeping our industries
from Russia's growing market for these
commodities. In 2008, U.S. exports of pet food
and animal feed (including feed additives)
reached an estimated $30 million.
4. (SBU) COMMENT: Post strongly recommends that
APHIS and FAS coordinate a response (with input
from industry representatives) that includes
lists of U.S. pet food and animal feed facilities
to VPSS as soon as possible. As usual, VPSS
stated in the letter that the U.S. facilities
must fully meet all Russian import requirements
although many of them do not comply with
international standards. APHIS may want to
consider responding by stating that product from
the U.S. pet food and animal feed facilities
meets the requirements per our bilaterally-
negotiated veterinary certificates. VPSS has
made it clear that request for lists of U.S.
facilities that export additional agricultural
products to Russia will grow. As a result, it
would behoove APHIS to develop a strategy as soon
as possible to deal with this and all future
requests for lists since it appears to be the
wave of the future. END COMMENT.
BEYRLE
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
USDA FAS FOR OCRA/KUYPERS; OSTA/HAMILTON, BEAN;
ONA/TING, SALLYARDS, MURPHY
PASS APHIS MITCHELL, BURLESON, TANIEWSKI
STATE FOR EUR/RUS
STATE PASS USTR FOR CHATTIN
BRUSSELS PASS APHIS/FERNANDEZ
VIENNA PASS APHIS/TANAKA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR ETRD ECON WTO RS
SUBJECT: RUSSIAN VET SERVICE STOPS SHIPMENTS OF
U.S. PET FOOD AND ANIMAL FEED
REF: A) SMITH/KUYPERS EMAIL 12/29/08
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Russian Federal Veterinary
and Phytosanitary Surveillance Service (VPSS) has
halted trade of U.S. pet food, animal feed and
animal feed additives as of January 1, 2009.
VPSS officials have advised that trade can resume
only after USDA's Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS) provides lists of U.S.
manufacturers that currently export to Russia.
In late December of 2008, USDA received a letter
from VPSS with a reminder of an impending ban if
the lists were not provided. The original
scanned copy of the letter and courtesy
translation were sent to FAS/OCRA on December 29,
2008 (REF A). An informal embassy translation of
the letter follows. END SUMMARY.
2. (SBU) BEGIN TEXT:
Moscow, December 26, 2008
No. FS-NV-2/13281
Dr. Robert Tanaka,
Area Director for Eastern Europe
USDA Animal and Plant Inspection Service
The Federal Veterinary and Phytosanitary
Surveillance Service (VPSS) extends its regards
to the USDA Animal and Plant Inspection Service
(APHIS) and informs you of the following:
In our letters FS-AS-2/11553 dated November 14,
2008, and FS-NV-2/12384 dated December 5, 2008,
VPSS informed about the necessity of receiving
lists of the U.S. manufacturers of animal feed
and feed additives that are exporting products to
the Russian Federation and that currently have
contracts with Russian partners for shipping such
products. In addition, we requested guarantees
that these facilities are under permanent control
of the U.S. veterinary service and that they will
fulfill in the full scale all Russian veterinary-
sanitary requirements and norms.
To date the U.S. side has not provided us with
the above-mentioned lists of U.S. establishments.
This lack of action on your behalf will lead to a
serious barrier to trade of animal feed and feed
additives between our countries. VPSS will not
be able to issue import permits for shipments of
feed as of 2009 from the United States to the
Russian Federation until the mentioned materials
have been provided.
Please accept, Mr. Tanaka, assurances of my deep
respect for you.
Deputy Head
N.A. Vlasov
END TEXT.
3. (SBU) In early January 2009, VPSS advised Post
that the request for a list of U.S. animal feed
facilities exporting to Russia included pet food
even though it was not specifically mentioned in
any of the three letters sent to APHIS since
November 2008. Post received assurances from
VPSS officials that initial lists of U.S. pet
food and animal feed manufacturers do not need to
be complete and can be modified at any time by
APHIS. Until these lists are provided, VPSS will
not issue import permits keeping our industries
from Russia's growing market for these
commodities. In 2008, U.S. exports of pet food
and animal feed (including feed additives)
reached an estimated $30 million.
4. (SBU) COMMENT: Post strongly recommends that
APHIS and FAS coordinate a response (with input
from industry representatives) that includes
lists of U.S. pet food and animal feed facilities
to VPSS as soon as possible. As usual, VPSS
stated in the letter that the U.S. facilities
must fully meet all Russian import requirements
although many of them do not comply with
international standards. APHIS may want to
consider responding by stating that product from
the U.S. pet food and animal feed facilities
meets the requirements per our bilaterally-
negotiated veterinary certificates. VPSS has
made it clear that request for lists of U.S.
facilities that export additional agricultural
products to Russia will grow. As a result, it
would behoove APHIS to develop a strategy as soon
as possible to deal with this and all future
requests for lists since it appears to be the
wave of the future. END COMMENT.
BEYRLE