By MEGGIE I. FOSTER
Assistant Editor

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last week, U.S. Trade Rep. Ron Kirk and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a trade agreement between the United States and Russia that will help resume exports of U.S. poultry to Russia.

According to Kirk, once the agreement is officially signed, U.S. poultry producers will be able to recommence shipments of poultry products to Russian buyers.

“I am pleased that after several months of negotiations, we have finally reached a breakthrough which will allow for U.S. poultry exports to resume to this important market,” said Kirk. “In 2009, U.S. poultry exports were valued at $767 million. Today’s agreement will not only benefit our farmers and ranchers, but it will help support agriculture jobs here at home.”

Under the agreement, the United States will publish information on the USDA’s website about which disinfectants and pathogen reductions treatments are known to be approved by Russia for use on processing poultry and on food in general. The United States will also provide information to Russia on the solutions that companies use on poultry shipped to Russia. Additionally, the United States will give Russia an updated list of poultry processing facilities authorized to ship poultry to Russia.

“This is an important achievement for U.S. agriculture,” said Vilsack. “Russia has long been the largest export market for U.S. poultry and regaining access to that market has been a top priority for the Obama Administration. I am pleased our countries have come to an agreement that will reopen this valuable market to U.S. producers.”

Those sentiments were echoed by U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Chairperson Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), Ranking Member Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), following the announcement on June 24. Just one day earlier, Lincoln, Chambliss, Klobuchar and 22 other senators sent President Barack Obama a letter urging him to discuss Russian trade barriers on U.S. poultry imports during his meeting with Russia President Dmitry Medvedev.

“I thank President Obama, U.S. Trade Rep. Kirk and Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack for their tireless efforts on this issue and hope that the details of this agreement can be quickly implemented so that U.S. poultry shipments to Russia can resume as soon as possible,” said Lincoln. “

Chambliss added that he hopes any future disruptions in this matter can be avoided thereby removing unnecessary irritants to U.S.-Russia foreign relations. “In the future, Congress will be closely monitoring this agreement to ensure both sides adhere to science based standards,” he explained.

Klobuchar said the reopening of trade boundaries for poultry products between Russia and the United States has been long in waiting. “I am pleased that Russia has agreed to lift its ban on U.S. poultry. The prolonged absence from the Russian market was harming U.S. turkey and chicken farmers in an already tough economy,” she said. “U.S. poultry has been internationally recognized as safe, and resolving this issue was critical to our poultry producers and our nation’s economy.”

In the last three years,  poultry exports to Russia averaged more than $800 million in value, making Russia the single largest U.S. export market. The poultry industry represents more than 500,000 jobs in the United States. The absence of this market in Russia has generated an overall 14 percent decline in the volume of U.S. poultry exports globally, according to data provided by the Senate ag committee.