Russia's Possible Livestock Ban Worries Farmers
Estonian pig farmers are worried about a Russian federal agency's impending decision to stop importing livestock from the EU.
"I'm staying calm, but it's clear there's tension in the air," said Margus Õunpuu, head of pig farming for the Valjala feed factory, in Saarte Hääl. Valjala exports up to 70 percent to Russia.
Director of the Veterinary and Food Board Ago Pärtel said that the livestock import ban will affect pigs and some beef cattle in Estonia. "It would be a very serious blow to Estonian pig farmers," said Pärtel. In 2011, Estonian pig farmers exported 211,000 pigs to Russia.
Õunpuu said that the loss of the Russian market would lead to price collapse in the months ahead due to oversupply. It is not the first time this has happened. Russia established sanctions after the Bronze Soldier riots in 2007. Other Western European pork producers such as Germany, Denmark and Finland export heavily to Asia and are not as heavily hit by Russia's decisions.
The official explanation for the ban is the Schmallenberg virus. Russia says it has not received exhaustive answers from the EU as to its spread in the EU. In a letter to the European Commission, the Russian side also expressed dissatisfaction with quarantine procedures for export of pigs. .
But Pärtel speculated a reason might be that Russia wants to pressure the EC before a meeting this month in Moscow between commissioners and the Ministry of Agriculture and that the sanctions would not be in place for long or at all.
Kristopher Rikken