WELLINGTON: The Russian agricultural safety watchdog has announced that it will temporarily ban imports of beef from New Zealand from 6 February.
The ban is being introduced following the feed additive ractopamine being found in some samples of beef, the Russian agricultural safety watchdog has said.
Ractopamine promotes muscle growth and is a derivative of angel dust. It is not registered for use in New Zealand, as well as around 160 other countries worldwide, including the EU, Russia and China.
The Russian agricultural safety watchdog has also announced that a ban on fish imports from New Zealand is being considered, following traces of mercury being found in some samples.
New Zealand is not included in the Russian trade embargo introduced in 2014 on western food imports, in retaliation for western countries imposing sanctions on Russia due to its involvement in conflict in Ukraine.
