After joining the WTO Russia will have to import meat under the current conditions up to 2020 Restrictions on meat imports were one of the most contentious issues in negotiations to join the organization.
According to the representative of Ministry of Economic Development during the talks on Russia's accession to the WTO the Sides have agreed to maintain the current system of customs and tariff regulation, for pork until 2020, and for poultry and beef - even after 2020. The size of quotas on import of beef will remain unchanged until 2020, but quota on import of poultry and pork will be reduced, says the Official. Tariffs on import of meat above the quota for all types of meat will remain on the same high level and will not fall, he said adding that for some types of meat tariffs may even rise, Daily newspaper “Vedomosti”, reports
The representative of the Ministry of Agriculture refused to give comments.
Sergey Yushin, the Head of the Executive Committee of the National Meat Association (industry association) says that a number of nuances are still not resolved, for example, regulation of import of expensive beef. President of the Meat Union Musheg Mamikonyan doubts that maintaining of out of quota tariffs on the current high level is possible further than the year 2012.
“Representatives of the Western delegations are sensitive mostly about the size of out of quota tariffs rather than about their existence. I hardly believe that with the current duties of 75 percent Russians could achieve a compromise in the negotiations”, he said.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin back in June 2011 underlined the tough position of Russia on this issue, stating that the country is ready to revise quotas for imports of pork and poultry only after full accession to the WTO, “Kazakhstan-Zerno” news agency report.
Russia covers about 85 percent of the domestic demand for poultry meat, about 75 percent – for pork and 70 percent – for beef, Mr. Yushin said. Meat quotas approved in June will be effective until the end of 2012. Quota on import of pork for the year 2012 – 320,000 MT, poultry meat – 250,000 MT (and additional 80,000 MT - mechanically deboned meat), beef – 560,000 MT.
Source: thenews.kz
Translated by: usapeec.kz
