Brazil expects Russia to lift embargo on swine meat

Speaking at the ExpoFenabrave event in São Paulo this week, MAPA’s minister Blairo Maggi said the country had resolved technical issues with Russia over pigmeat imports following talks with the country’s Minister of Agriculture Dmitri Patrushev and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Maggi added that Brazil has now adjusted to Russia’s technical demands and there were no political impediments.

The Russian Government introduced the food embargo in August 2014, which banned imports of meat from key international markets, including Brazil.

The Russian Federal Customs Service recently revealed that the country’s pork imports slumped by more than fourfold​ to 36,300 tonnes (t) in comparison to 147,700t in the first half of 2017.

Prior to the restrictions placed upon Brazil, the South American country had exported an average of 22,000t of pork to the Russian market, according to the Russian State Statistics Service.

Maggi added that he was also exploring opportunities to open up other markets and had targeted South Korea and South Africa, describing them as “important markets​” for pig activity.