VZCZCXYZ0005
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMO #1150/01 1251351
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 051351Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC PRIORITY 5480
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3154
INFO RUEHVI/AMEMBASSY VIENNA 4747
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 5307

UNCLAS MOSCOW 001150 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
USDA FAS FOR OCRA/KUYPERS, RIKER; OSTA/BEAN, 
HAMILTON, HAXTON; ONA/TING, SALLYARDS 
PASS FSIS DUTROW, HARRIES 
PASS APHIS BURLESON 
STATE FOR EUR/RUS 
STATE PASS USTR FOR CHATTIN, HAFNER, MURPHY 
BRUSSELS PASS APHIS/FERNANDEZ 
VIENNA PASS APHIS/MITCHELL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR ETRD ECON WTO RS
SUBJECT: RUSSIA BLOCKS IMPORTS OF U.S. MEAT AND 
POULTRY OVER INFLUENZA A H1N1 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Russian Federal Veterinary 
and Phytosanitary Surveillance Service (VPSS) 
advised via official letter that several U.S. 
states have been restricted from exporting meat 
and poultry to Russia resulting from human cases 
of influenza A H1N1.  California, New York, Texas 
and South Carolina are temporarily restricted 
from exporting all types of fresh/frozen meat and 
poultry products to Russia.  Thirteen additional 
states (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, 
Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, New Jersey, 
New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Florida) have 
been temporarily restricted from exporting all 
fresh/frozen pork and pork products to Russia. 
Russian Chief Vet Nikolay Vlasov informed Post 
that the list of U.S. states facing restrictions 
will be updated regularly depending on new 
information provided by USDA and the U.S. Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
----------- 
RISK ZONE 1 
----------- 
 
¶2. (U) VPSS has implemented a "risk zone" system 
when discussing trade restrictions placed on meat 
and poultry products from countries where human 
cases of H1N1 have been confirmed.  Zone 1 means 
that temporary restrictions are in force on all 
types of fresh/frozen meat and poultry (as well 
as on all processed meat and poultry products 
that have not been heat-treated at a minimum 
temperature of 80 degrees Celsius during not less 
then 30 minutes).  U.S. states of Texas, 
California, New York and South Carolina fall in 
this category as of April 21.  The restrictions 
on Texas, New York and California cover all meat 
and poultry products that were 
produced/slaughtered after April 21, 2009.  The 
restrictions on South Carolina cover all meat and 
poultry products produced/slaughtered after May 
¶4.  In addition, VPSS announced that transit of 
all meat and poultry products for loading at 
ports is permitted in zone 1 as is the use of 
cold storage warehouses. 
 
----------- 
RISK ZONE 2 
----------- 
 
¶3. (U) Several countries and U.S. states have 
been placed in zone 2.  This category restricts 
all fresh and frozen pork and pork products, and 
processed pork products that have not been heat- 
treated at a minimum temperature of 80 degrees 
Celsius for at least 30 minutes.  Alabama, 
Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, 
Kansas, Louisiana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, 
Oklahoma, and Florida have all been placed in 
zone 2.  The restrictions on all of these states 
cover pork products that were 
produced/slaughtered after April 24 (except 
Delaware after May 5).  In addition, VPSS 
announced that transit of all pork products for 
loading at ports is permitted in zone 1 as is the 
use of cold storage warehouses. 
 
---------- 
BACKGROUND 
---------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) As of May 4, the U.S. Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed 
279 human cases of influenza A H1N1 in the United 
States in 36 states.  Most U.S. cases have been 
mild in nature with only one death reported in 
 
Texas.  Influenza A H1N1 is being spread person 
to person.  None of the confirmed human cases in 
the United States was the result of exposure to 
swine and the CDC, the World Health Organization 
(WHO) and the World Organization for Animal 
Health (OIE) and the World Trade Organization 
(WTO) all state that there is no evidence that 
this virus is transmitted by consuming meat 
products that have been properly handled and 
cooked.  There have been no reports of this 
influenza A H1N1 isolate occurring in live pigs 
in the United States.  A network of Federal 
veterinarians, state animal health officials and 
private practitioners are regularly involved with 
monitoring U.S. swine for signs of significant 
disease. 
 
----------- 
INFO NEEDED 
----------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Russian Chief Veterinary Officer Nikolay 
Vlasov informed AGR via telephone on April 29 
that tremendous pressure came from above 
(Kremlin) to restrict meat shipments from 
countries affected by H1N1 as a precautionary 
approach.  Once GOR began receiving more and more 
scientific data that the restrictions were not 
warranted, Vlasov stated that he would order the 
lifting of restrictions "little by little". 
Vlasov is surely aware that there is no 
scientific evidence showing that the virus can 
spread from properly handling and cooking meat 
products.  Vlasov is the Russian delegate at the 
OIE and one of Russia's most respected 
scientists.  Since then, Vlasov has called AGR 
everyday to discuss what he needs to know before 
he can begin lifting restrictions placed on meat 
and poultry products from U.S. states. 
Since April 28, this approach has been working as 
several U.S. states were removed from both zones 
after USDA provided detailed information to 
Vlasov and his team. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Vlasov emphasized in a recent phone call 
that he would like to receive more scientific 
information about whether or not the H1N1 virus 
can spread from pig to pig and from pigs to 
humans.  Vlasov stated that he was aware that CDC 
and USDA were doing research in this area and 
asked that he be provided the results of the 
research as quickly as possible.  Vlasov also 
stated that he was ready to move Texas, 
California, New York and South Carolina from zone 
1 to zone 2 after getting more information about 
what additional steps USDA is taking to monitor 
the health of pigs (cows, chickens, horses, etc) 
in farms and what additional steps USG is taking 
to monitor the health of people who work in the 
U.S. meat and poultry industries (particularly 
those who work in farms and slaughterhouses) in 
those states. 
 
---------------- 
GOR TACKLES H1N1 
---------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) PM Vladimir Putin ordered a "Government 
Commission on Preventing the Spread of Swine Flu 
Dissemination in the Russian Federation", which 
was held on April 29.  The commission decided, 
among other things, to restrict pork and pork 
products that have not been heat-treated, from 
countries affected by swine flu until June 1, 
¶2009.  "Measures that are being taken to prevent 
the so-called 'swine flu' dissemination on the 
territory of the Russian Federation are 
preventive and adequately correspond to the level 
of threat that has been determined by the World 
 
Health Organization and the relevant Russian 
agencies", said First Deputy Prime Minister 
Viktor Zubkov who chaired the Commission. 
 
------------------ 
DEMARCHE DELIVERED 
------------------ 
 
¶7. (SBU) AGR delivered a demarche to Vlasov on 
May 4 and requested that current restrictions 
placed on U.S. meat and poultry products be 
lifted immediately.  Vlasov stated that he was 
been ordered to keep restrictions placed on pork 
and pork products from countries where human 
cases of H1N1 have been detected until June 1 
(resulting from the governmental commission on 
swine flu).  He stated that the only way for him 
to lift the restrictions before June 1 is if he 
were to receive scientific evidence about how the 
virus spreads and whether or not the virus 
spreads among pig herds and from pigs to humans. 
Depending on the information received from 
research in the area, and assuming that the 
evidence pointed to minimal risk, Vlasov agreed 
to advise the Kremlin that restrictions were no 
longer necessary and should be removed.  Until 
then, Vlasov stated, that his hands were tied. 
 
BEYRLE