Russia defends import ban on meat from Germany

MOSCOW, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Russia's recently imposed ban on meat imports from the European Union fully accords with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, the Russian agricultural safety watchdog said Monday.

"We understand it clearly that we are in the WTO," Rosselkhoznadzor chief Sergei Dankvert told the Interfax news agency.

Russia slapped a ban on meat imports from three German states on Feb. 4, citing unclear origin of the meat, misrepresentation of the meat products, lack of monitoring of chemical ingredients and contamination.

The European Commission should not file a complaint but focus on solving the problem and improving control of raw meat, Dankvert said.

Last week, the EU submitted a complaint to the WTO, saying all meat exports to Russia had fully met quality standards.

Earlier this year, Russia prohibited imports of U.S. beef, pork, turkey and other meat products by applying zero tolerance to the presence of ractopamine.

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