020518 Russia Bans Imports of S Korean and Polish MeatMay 10, 2002Moscow - Russia banned the import of meat and animal products from South Korea and restricted the import of meat from Poland, agriculture officials said. The veterinary service of Russia's Agriculture Ministry imposed the ban on South Korea because of a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak there, the ministry's press service said. No figures were available on South Korean meat imports to Russia. South Korea exported dlrs 75 million in pork in 2000 and dlrs 46 million last year, mostly to Russia, the Philippines and a few other Southeast Asian countries. South Korea on Saturday confirmed that foot-and-mouth disease killed 280 pigs at a farm last week and that the problem may be spreading. A similar outbreak two years ago devastated the country's pork exports. Russia's veterinary service on Tuesday also banned the import of beef on the bone, mutton and other animal products from Poland amid fears of mad cow disease. Boneless beef is excluded from the ban. Polish media reports have said that a slaughtered cow tested positive last week for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE -- the first reported case in Poland. The cow was allegedly bred at a private farm in a village near Tarnow, 300 kilometers (180 miles) south of Warsaw. So far, no other cases have been reported. Russian officials did not release any details on the level of meat imports from Poland. Ukraine also banned imports of Polish beef on Tuesday. But Nikolai Pastyuk, deputy chief veterinary inspector, downplayed fears of the disease in Ukraine, saying that the country had not imported Polish livestock for a few years and imports of meat products were insignificant, according to ITAR-Tass news agency. Last year, Russia banned imports of meat, poultry, fish and dairy products from all European countries, China, Mongolia and Brazil due to concerns about foot-and-mouth disease and BSE. It subsequently lifted the ban on most products from most countries.
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