FIVE PORK PLANTS RELISTED

UNCLAS MOSCOW 000954

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR ETRD ECON WTO RS
SUBJECT: FIVE PORK PLANTS RELISTED

REF: A) MOSCOW 939 B) MOSCOW 267

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On April 10, 2009, the Head of
Russian Federal Veterinary and Phytosanitary
Surveillance Service (VPSS) advised via official
letter that VPSS will be relisting five pork
facilities which were delisted in the January 27,
2009, letter from Vlasov to Jones (Reftel B)
(facilities #18674, 9201, 18079, 18435, and
27398.) The relistings are in response to
additional information provided by the companies
and USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service and
will become effective on April 15, 2009. An
unofficial translation of the letter follows. END
SUMMARY


2. (SBU) BEGIN TEXT:

Moscow, April 10, 2009
No. FS-SD-2/3169

Dr. Ronald K. Jones
Assistant Administrator
Office of International Affairs
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)


Dear Dr. Jones,

The Federal Veterinary and Phytosanitary
Surveillance Service (VPSS) extends its regards
to the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS),
USDA and in response to your letters of February
12, 2009, February 26, 2009, and March 10, 2009,
informs you of the following.

Taking into account the results of conducted
investigation at the establishments # 18674,
9201, 18079, 18435, and 27398, that have been
temporally restricted by VPSS starting from
February 10, 2009, due to detecting gross
violations of the Russian regulation when
shipping products of animal origin from the U.S.
to the Russian Federation, and also taking into
account guarantees from FSIS that these
establishments will fulfill the necessary
activities that allow to mitigate to minimum or
prevent further mistakes in the veterinary
certificates, VPSS considers it possible to lift
temporal restrictions from these establishments
starting from April 15, 2009.

In case recurring violations are detected during
veterinary control by territorial directorates of
VPSS at the border, the above mentioned
establishments will be delisted from the approved
list of the U.S. establishments eligible to
export their products to the Russian Federation.

Along with that we would like to inform you that
according to clarifications we have received from
the representatives of the facilities 85B, 85O,
the sales of their products are implemented
through broker companies, that can sell the
product further either on domestic or foreign
markets, therefore, it is impossible to track
down whether veterinary documentation is being
processed correctly. This information testifies
that these facilities lack system approach in
preparation of the products that are destined for
export to the Russian Federation and compliance
to the Russian veterinary sanitary requirements
and norms. In connection with this, we believe it
is premature to lift temporally restrictions form
the above mentioned facilities.


Dr. Jones, let me assure you of my highest
esteem.

Head
C.A. Dankvert

END TEXT


3. (SBU) Out of the nine companies that were
originally delisted for clerical errors in the
January 27, 2009 letter, only two remain
ineligible to ship to Russia.

BEYRLE