030327 Lawmakers Target Russian Meat QuotasMarch 15, 2003Washington - Lawmakers are calling on the White House to help the U.S. meat and poultry industry fight Russia's new restrictions on exports. In letters sent Thursday to President Bush, members of Congress said Russia's proposed quotas on U.S. meat and poultry exports are unfair and disrupting the market. "We will support the administration's aggressive use of the tools available, including trade retaliation, to resolve this dispute," wrote Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., in a letter signed by 51 senators. A similar letter to the president was signed by 140 House members. The White House responded that it shares the lawmakers' concerns, but did not specify what action it might take. Claire Buchan, a spokeswoman for Bush, said the administration takes the matter seriously and is "working with very closely with our Russian counterparts." Russia is one of the largest buyers of U.S. meat and poultry. It is seeking to become a member of the World Trade Organization but recently revoked all meat import licenses and set quotas on all foreign suppliers to reduce imports. Analysts and trade groups suspect the country is trying to insulate its meat producers from foreign competition. "These are not the kinds of things that you'd see from a prospective WTO member," said Richard Lobb, spokesman for the National Chicken Council.
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