Veterinary watchdog of Russia yesterday announced that they plan to introduce a ban on New Zealand beef and beef products starting Monday next week. The results of laboratory tests conducted in 2016 showed that numerous violations of standards in the field of meat and meat products from New Zealand were identified. From May to December, numerous listeria bacteria in beef and beef offal, and ractopamine in beef liver.
Roctopamine is a feed additivewhich is used to increase muscle mass in pigs and cattle grown for meat and has been banned in many countries of the European Union and Russia. New Zealand authorities have responded by stating that New Zealand’s food standards are among the highest in the world, and they are determined to produce high-quality, safe meat for domestic and foreign consumers. The chief executive officer of the New Zealand Meat Industry Association said the additive was banned for use in New Zealand’s livestock or sheep feed,but it was allowed to feed pigs, so it is available in the country, so there is the possibility that it was in the food chain of cows, by accident or in some other way. In addition, while ractopamine is banned for use in many countries around the world, it is not prohibited in every country, including the United States. Therefore, in New Zealand, beef products for export to Russia may also include beef products obtained from a country in which ractopamine is not prohibited. 
