Russia has followed through on a threat made last month and enacted a temporary ban on frozen beef and pork imports from the United States. Russian officials put the ban into place citing concerns over the use of ractopamine as a feed additive.
Ractopamine is added to feed to stimulate livestock growth. The steroid-based feed additive has been banned in 160 countries.
While the Russian ban has been put into place, the US government and other meat lobbyists maintain that the additive is safe when properly used. The ban may lead to millions of dollars in financial losses to the US meat industry if the ban isn't soon lifted.
US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and US Trade Representative Ron Kirk said the US is "very disappointed" with the decision. "Russia has disregarded the extensive and expert scientific studies conducted by the international food safety standards body, the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which has repeatedly concluded that animal feed containing the additive ractopamine is completely safe for livestock and for humans that consume their meat," Kirk and Vilsack wrote in a joint statement Feb. 12.
