Gennady Onischenko: Russia's poor are starved

Gennady Onischenko, first deputy health minister and head sanitary doctor of Russia, has pointed out that Russia's impoverished people are starved. At a press conference in RIA Novosti on Tuesday he spoke for further deliveries of American chicken legs to Russia, provided the deliverers meet the set meat quality standards.

"If the chicken deliveries cease, the poorest part of the population will be starved," Onischenko said. "We should sell chicken legs if there is demand for them in Russia," he said. Yet, it is necessary to stick to the set quality standards, he pointed out.

Now in the USA a group of Russian veterinarians are discussing a bilateral protocol on poultry deliveries from the USA in order to make sure that Russia receives high-quality meat.

Onischenko stressed that "it is a normal trade process" and gave a positive assessment to the new Russian-American protocol on poultry deliveries and to the new veterinary certificate.