Cablegate: Russian Vet Service Delists Another

VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMO #3360 3250832
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 200832Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC PRIORITY 5406
INFO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0818
RUEHVI/AMEMBASSY VIENNA 4688
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 5238

UNCLAS MOSCOW 003360

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

USDA FAS FOR OCRA/KUYPERS; OSTA/HAMILTON, BEAN
PASS FSIS/JONES, DUTROW
PASS APHIS/MITCHELL
STATE FOR EUR/RUS, EB/ATP/SINGER
STATE PASS USTR FOR CHATTIN
BRUSSELS PASS APHIS/FERNANDEZ
VIENNA PASS APHIS/TANAKA
GENEVA FOR USTR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR ETRD TBIO WTO RS
SUBJECT: RUSSIAN VET SERVICE DELISTS ANOTHER
U.S. POULTRY PLANT AND A U.S. PORK PLANT

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED

1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Russian Federal
Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance
Service (VPSS) informed via official letter on
November 14, 2008, that another U.S. poultry
plant (P-13556) and pork plant (#17564) will be
delisted as of November 24, 2008. According to
the VPSS letter, routine tests revealed the
presence of tetracycline in a shipment of
chicken quarters and salmonella in a shipment
of boneless pork jowls from these plants. The
letter requests that the USDA Food Safety and
Inspection Service (FSIS) conduct an
investigation into how product contaminated
with residue and salmonella found their way
into shipments to Russia. The original scanned
copy of the VPSS letter and courtesy
translation were sent to FSIS on November 16,
2008. An informal embassy translation of the
letter follows. END SUMMARY.

2. (SBU) BEGIN TEXT:
Moscow, November 14, 2008
# ??-AS-2/11524

Mr. William James, the Deputy Administrator of
the
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)

Dear Mr. James,

The Federal Service for Veterinary and
Phytosanitary Surveillance extends its respect
to the Food Safety and Inspection Service
(FSIS), USDA.

Antibiotic tetracycline was detected in a
shipment of chicken quarters imported from the
U.S. to the Russian Federation during
monitoring tests of the residues of prohibited
and harmful substances (lab test results #2408
of October 22, 2008). The product was
manufactured at the U.S. establishment #P-13556
(veterinary certificates

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