VZCZCXYZ0002
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMO #3473/01 3371353
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 021353Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC PRIORITY 5410
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0943
INFO RUEHVI/AMEMBASSY VIENNA 4691
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 5243

UNCLAS MOSCOW 003473 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
USDA FAS FOR OCRA/KUYPERS; OSTA/HAMILTON, BEAN 
PASS FSIS/HARRIES, DUTROW 
PASS APHIS MITCHELL 
STATE FOR EUR/RUS, 
STATE PASS USTR FOR CHATTIN, HAFNER, KLEIN 
BRUSSELS PASS APHIS/FERNANDEZ 
VIENNA PASS APHIS/TANAKA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR ETRD ECON WTO RS
SUBJECT: MINAG DELISTS 7 U.S. PORK FACILITIES. 
 
REF: A) HANSEN/DUTROW EMAIL 12/1/08, B) MOSCOW 
2769, C) MOSCOW 2949, D) MOSCOW 3181 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Russian Federal Veterinary 
and Phytosanitary Surveillance Service (VPSS) 
advised via official letter that it had delisted 
7 out of the first 9 pork facilities that were 
recently inspected as part of a joint audit.  The 
results of the remaining 20 pork facilities are 
still pending but all signals point to more of 
the same unless an agreement can be reached to 
cut overall exports of U.S. pork to Russia in 
2009 (REF B).  In addition, the letter states 
that VPSS will intensify border control on all 
pork products from establishments 413 and 20748 
since Russian specialists were not permitted to 
visit farms that supply these establishments with 
animals for slaughter during the audit.  An 
original scanned copy and courtesy translation of 
the backdated letter were sent to USDA December 1 
(REF A).  An informal embassy translation of the 
letter follows.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (SBU) BEGIN TEXT: 
Moscow, November 27, 2008 
No. FS-NV-2/12067 
 
Assistant Administrator 
Office of International Affairs 
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service 
Dr. Ronald K. Jones 
 
The Federal Veterinary and Phytosanitary 
Surveillance Service (VPSS) extends its regards 
to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service 
(FSIS), and informs you of the following. 
 
Complying with the agreement on inspection and 
certification of U.S. slaughterhouses, meat 
processing establishments and cold storages of 
November 19, 2006, VPSS specialists conducted an 
audit of 29 U.S. pork establishments approved for 
export to Russian Federation from October 14-30, 
¶2008. 
 
VPSS has completed preliminary analysis of the 
results of the audit conducted in the period from 
October 15-17, 2008.  The results of our analysis 
showed that 7 establishments (244, 382, 812, 
1957, 1993, 6916 and 34179) did not comply with 
Russian requirements out of a total of 9 
establishments inspected during that period. 
Therefore the above-mentioned establishments will 
be excluded from the list of U.S. establishments 
approved for the export of pork and pork by- 
products to the Russian Federation starting 
December 15, 2008. 
 
I must add that VPSS will intensify border 
control on all products from establishments 413 
and 20748 since Russian specialists were not 
permitted to visit farms that supply these 
establishments with animals for slaughter. 
 
Furthermore, I inform you that pork 
establishments 28, 3535, 6747 and 19000 are 
delisted according to FSIS' notification. 
 
Please note that establishments P-2178, P-2686 
and P-20968 C, that declined to participate in 
the joint audit in July 2008, have been excluded 
from the list of U.S. establishments approved for 
the export of poultry to the Russian Federation. 
 
Dr. Jones, let me assure you of my highest 
esteem. 
 
Deputy Head 
N.A. Vlasov 
END TEXT. 
 
¶3. (SBU) In a previous letter, VPSS stated that 
it would not abide by the side letter agreement 
on meat and poultry plant inspections which was 
signed as part of the U.S.-Russia bilateral WTO 
market access agreement in November 2006 as 
questions were raised regarding FSIS' competence 
to assure and certify that meat and poultry 
exports to Russia meet all sanitary requirements 
and regulations (REF D).  Since then VPSS has 
denied a request to relist (or add) 7 new meat 
and poultry plants, that were inspected and 
certified by FSIS, for export to Russia. 
 
¶4. (SBU) COMMENT: The delisting of 7 out of the 
first 9 pork plants visited during the recent 
audit appears to be a blatant attempt to force 
U.S. negotiators to quickly agree to conditions 
that would lead to an overall decrease in U.S. 
pork exports to Russia in 2009 (REF B).  This 
would explain a delay in announcing the results 
of the additional 20 pork plants visited during 
the audit.  MinAg appears to be sending a message 
that, one way or another, it will control the 
volume of U.S. pork that is shipped to Russia and 
achieve the twin goals of protecting domestic 
producers and inflicting economic costs on U.S. 
agricultural interests.  It is very likely that 
if GOR and USG officials do not reach an 
agreement on TRQ pork allocation for 2009 via 
consultations, Russian veterinary officials will 
take the matter into their own hands and delist 
the majority of the remaining 20 pork plants 
visited during the audit.  VPSS has already 
explicitly stated that it will not abide by the 
side letter agreement on plant inspections signed 
as part of the U.S.-Russia WTO market access 
agreement in November 2006 which permits FSIS the 
ability to inspect and certify that U.S. meat and 
poultry plants meet Russian requirements (REF D). 
Now that it has denied the right of FSIS to 
relist and add new meat and poultry plants to the 
list of eligible exporters to Russia, VPSS is 
picking off U.S. pork plants that are currently 
eligible to export to Russia seven at a time 
thereby managing trade as it sees fit. END 
COMMENT. 
BEYRLE