Two of Brazil’s largest meat processors have said they will continue to export meat to Russia after Moscow banned meat imports from three Brazilian states.
Russia’s food safety watchdog, Rosselkhoznadzor, said yesterday (2 June) that it would temporarily ban imports from the Brazilian states of Parana, Rio Grande do Sul and Mato Grosso. The ban covers imports from 89 manufacturers who were alleged not to have met Russian food standards. The ban will begin from 15 June.
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Following the announcement, Marfrig and JBS said that they would relocate some of their Russian exports to plants that have not been affected by the ban.
Marfrig said the volume of its beef exports to Russia are not expected to change as it will use units in other states. Exports of poultry, pork and processed products will also be relocated to other plants. The production from the states affected from the Russian ban will go to other markets. In total, Marfrig’s exports to Russia represented 4.7% of the company’s revenue in the first quarter of the year, it said.
JBS,meanwhile, said it will use the eight production facilities in Brazil that have not been affected by the ban as well as production platforms outside the country.
The ban follows a Russian inspection of 29 production plants in Brazil in April. Russia claims inspectors found too few tests on raw meat. Monitoring for the presence of mercury, pesticides, dioxins and radio-nuclides had not been carried out for three years, Russia alleged.

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By GlobalData