From 15th November, Russia will temporarily ban imports of live pigs from Germany, citing unacceptable antibiotic levels in the German animals. The head of Russian veterinary service Rosselkhoznadzor announced the ban late Wednesday. image expired

Rosselkhoznadzor head Sergei Dankvert said, "Starting from November 15, we are limiting deliveries of live pigs from Germany because there are no safety guarantees."

Under the current trade rules, German pork is only eligible for export to Russia 30 days after using antibiotics, however, until now, the rules on antibiotics have not been applied to live pig exports. Mr Dankvert elaborated that, currently, "After importing pigs, we have to hold them for a month, the time needed to clear them of antibiotics."

He said the embargo on live pig imports would last until Germany's veterinary service provided guarantees regarding their antibiotic content. Dankvert said, "We need guarantees from Germany's veterinary service and as long as we don't have them, deliveries of live pigs from this country will be stopped."

Germany exports up to 350,000 pigs to Russia a year. Following the German dioxin scandal in January, Russia halted imports of pigs and pork from Germany. Last month the country returned 25,000 tonnes of pork to Germany, citing concerns over bacterial infection.

In the midst of the E.Coli crisis which struck Germany and France earlier in the year Russia placed an embargo on EU fresh produce; the interdiction was lifted in late June.