RUSSIA:A ban on all EU meat exports to Russia was averted last night after both sides agreed to a compromise, in a final effort to avoid the looming end-of-year deadline.
After lengthy talks in Moscow, Russia's agriculture minister Alexei Gordeyev accepted that his country would not impose a blanket ban on all 27 member states, once Romania and Bulgaria join the EU on January 1st.
In exchange, the European Health and Consumer Protection commissioner, Markos Kyprianou, conceded that exports from only specific regions of the EU's two newest member states, which met all phytosanitary criteria of the internal market, could be exported to the Russian Federation.
Although the final technical details of a memo of understanding must still be ironed out, European officials in Moscow last night were confident Russia would now drop its threat.
The issue rose to the top of the European agenda last week in Brussels, when EU leaders agreed to negotiate with Russia through the European Commission.
Ireland was one of a small number of EU countries invited to conclude separate bilateral deals with Russia last week. It now ranks as the main non-EU export market for Irish beef, with 29,000 tonnes sold there this year with an estimated value of €80 million.
Even a temporary ban could have seen internal EU prices for beef drop if the market faced a sudden glut of supply. In Russia analysts were predicting a sharp rise in prices for beef.
Although the Taoiseach backed EU solidarity and a joint decision, it's believed some other large member states were preparing to announce last-minute bilateral agreements with Russia if last night's talks had collapsed.
Russia has repeatedly expressed concerns that food safety standards in Romania and Bulgaria don't meet the EU's own standards.
After the talks in Russia's agriculture ministry, Mr Kyprianou said his negotiating hand was strengthened after last week's EU summit: "There was a definite understanding of the competencies of the commission and the member states on this issue. Once the legal definition was clarified late last week, we immediately prepared for this meeting."
Mr Gordeyev said that although the delegations also discussed the ongoing ban on Poland's exports, it was not resolved.