Russia plans to resume pork imports from the United States around March 10, Russia's veterinary and phytosanitary service (VPSS) said on Thursday. The country had banned pork imports in 2013 due to the industry’s use of the ractopamine feed additive.

"It's an approximate date," VPSS spokesman Alexei Alekseenko said. He declined to offer further details, Reuters reports.

Russia previously said that it planned to allow pork imports from the United States and Brazil to compensate for falling supplies from the European Union, which have been limited due to an outbreak of African Swine Fever in Lithuania in January. According to an Interfax news agency report, companies that have guaranteed that they do not use ractopamine in their process will be allowed to import pork products into Russia.

Source: Reuters