MOSCOW: Russia has decided to suspend imports of pork and beef from Brazil from December 1 after traces of banned feed additives were detected in the meat, the country's agricultural safety watchdog said Monday.
Russia's Rosselkhoznadzor agency said in a statement that ractopamine and other "growth hormones" had been detected in Brazilian meat imports.
Ractopamine is used to promote the development of lean meat. It is banned by Russia and the European Union (EU) due to human health risk concerns, but it is allowed in the United States, Canada and Brazil, among other countries.
The agency said that it had been forced to take "severe measures to protect Russian consumers" and impose "temporary restrictions" on the pork and beef imports from December 1.
