Putin: Russia, US were not at war over poultry market

The Russia-US poultry dispute was not a war for the poultry market, President Vladimir Putin of Russia said as addressing a State Council meeting Monday. The problem at issue was poor quality of the US-supplied chicken meat, he added. The Russian authorities did not seek to impose a full ban on meat imports, including the American-produced poultry, emphasized the president. The ban would be of little help to the domestic producers who cannot, so far, fill the country's meat demand, something which would trigger a rise in meat prices. "We have to think both of Russian producers and consumers, particularly residents of big cities," President Putin said emphatically. The Russian authorities attained the goal they had set themselves, according to the president. They found an adequate solution to the problem by introducing new import and quality check procedures. Vladimir Putin confirmed that 14 American poultry producers based in different states, who had produced 20 percent of the US-imported poultry, were struck off the list of Russia's suppliers. Russian experts have been sent to the US to ensure control over quality of the meat imported to Russia, according to Mr Putin.