Russia’s announcement that they are ending their ban on imports of U.S. pork is encouraging, but there are remaining issues to be resolved. That’s according to Thad Lively, vice president of the U.S. Meat Export Federation, who says that in cases like these, both sides need time to understand what they have agreed to.
Lively says packers understand what’s required of them. But he says in addition to that, all parties need to determine whether the agreement is what everyone thinks it is.
“We think this is an agreement that’s going to allow us to see our plants relisted and see our product start moving to Russia in an uninterrupted fashion,” Lively told Brownfield Monday. “Certainly that’s what we’re hoping for.”
AUDIO: Thad Lively (4 min. MP3)
The agreement is a move in the right direction, however Lively said it is viewed as being taken one step at a time.
After everything is finalized and the market is up and running, he says the end to Russia’s ban is especially good for U.S. pork producers.
“The Russian market, I think, this year is actually going to be a good market,” said Lively. “The economy in Russia is coming back; the exchange rates have worked to our benefit.”
The market will open with a limited number of U.S. plants approved for exporting pork to Russia, said Lively, but he adds that the USMEF’s objective is to get approval for all U.S. plants that want it. Lively is confident that includes most plants.
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