Russian vets paving way for seafood exports

Russian veterinary watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor is actively involved in the process of opening new markets for the supply of Russian products of animal origin. In 2021, 36 types of controlled goods from Russia, including meat and dairy products, feed, non-food products, and live animals, were granted the right to be exported to the markets of 17 foreign countries, reports Megafishnet.com.

According to Rosselkhoznadzor, this year domestic beef was supplied to 23 countries, pork to 15 countries, poultry meat to 37 countries, small cattle meat to 4 countries, finished meat products to 23 countries, dairy products to 23 countries, fish and fish products to 62 countries.

Exports of most of these goods have been steadily growing. In 2021, the shipments of raw meat and finished meat products reached 571.8 thousand metric tons, while 556.9 thousand tonnes were shipped over the same period in 2020. The volume of beef supplies increased from 14.9 thousand tonnes to 30.4 thousand tonnes, pork – from 110.3 thousand tonnes to 121.7 thousand tonnes, finished meat products - from 53.1 thousand tonnes to 71.7 thousand tonnes. In addition, exports of milk and dairy products increased significantly – from 129.1 thousand tonnes to 183 thousand tonnes.

To date, 4,617 companies for the production, storage, movement of controlled goods, and cultivation of live animals have been included in the register of enterprises entitled to export products. They can ship cargoes to more than 80 countries.

One of the most difficult, but at the same time the most promising areas of the Rosselkhoznadzor's work in terms of establishing exports of products has traditionally been gaining access to the Chinese market.

In 2021, the Chinese side included the position "milk powder" in the list of products allowed for entry to China. Currently, 52 manufacturers, including 17 companies producing powdered milk, are listed in the list of enterprises that are certified for sending dairy products from Russia to China. 49 domestic producers can supply ice cream to China.

In addition, in November, a protocol regulating the supply of beef from Russia was signed between the countries. By the time the document was initialled, two Russian enterprises already had the rights to supply cattle meat to China, but the official signing of the protocol was an important and long-awaited step towards building mutually beneficial and the most effective trade and economic relations between the states. In 2021, 19.8 thousand tonnes of beef were delivered to China.