Russia and the US may hold talks as early as next week aimed at resolving an ongoing row over poultry trade, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
Russia still has bans on poultry exports from some US plants, and the US is keen to have full poultry trade between the two countries resumed.
USDA spokesman Ed Loyd said Russian agriculture minister Alexei Gordeyev had told USDA secretary Ann Veneman that the talks may result in Russian inspectors returning to US poultry plants this summer, reported OsterDowJones.
Russia introduced bans on poultry exports from 11 US poultry plants after claiming its inspectors found pathogens in poultry from those plants.
Greg Lee, chief administrative officer of Tyson Foods and chairman of the National Chicken Council, said Russia had acted “without an opportunity for USDA or US poultry companies to respond to the findings”.
