Putin on US Poultry

This week, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin voiced support for a new Russian policy that limits the amount of chlorine-treated poultry to enter its borders. The government enacted the policy on January 1. Putin, citing health and safety reasons, singled out American agribusiness for its failure to demonstrate compliance with Russian standards for poultry production. Russia now joins the EU, which enforces a similar ban on chlorine-treated poultry. The ban is part of a larger government project to phase out poultry imports and rely solely on domestic poultry by 2015. This year, Russia expects to decrease its US poultry quotas by 20 percent.