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importing meat and milk products. The Ministry of Agriculture and sector watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor support the initiative. As part of the counter- sanctions, it has been illegal to import agricultural produce from key producing Western countries since 2014. Individuals are allowed to bring up to 5kg of goods for private consumption. The meat union’s stated rationale for the proposal is that it primarily targets sanitary concerns, since diseases which are not dangerous to people could be transferred to animals. The sanitary situation in the meat segment is still challenging, despite the recent improvements. In 2018, Russia saw 105 cases of African swine flu (ASF), including at leading industrial companies. That figure is down almost two thirds from 2016, but is still too high and jeopardises the export prospects for domestically produced meat. However, the ban is unlikley to go through.
99 RUSSIA Country Report May 2019 www.intellinews.com