VZCZCXYZ0016
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMO #0954/01 1041316
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 141316Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC PRIORITY 5474
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2870
INFO RUEHVI/AMEMBASSY VIENNA 4743
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 5299

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