09 August 2026
Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) has announced two significant regulatory enforcement measures aimed at safeguarding biosecurity and protecting domestic consumers within the poultry sector.
Effective August 4, 2026, Rosselkhoznadzor implemented enhanced laboratory monitoring for products originating from two major Chinese poultry suppliers, Heilongjiang Chia Tai and Heilongjiang Grand Forest. The heightened inspection regimen follows the detection of biological and chemical contaminants, including Salmonella, Listeria, and residual traces of metronidazole, in shipments of minced chicken, offal, and poultry cuts. Rather than enacting a full import ban, Russian authorities have opted for mandatory, rigorous testing protocols. This decision comes during a period of rapidly expanding bilateral trade, with Chinese poultry exports to Russia rising from $175.4 million in 2025 to $104.3 million in the first half of 2026 alone.
In a parallel regulatory action, Rosselkhoznadzor imposed temporary restrictions starting August 5, 2026, on the transit of European Union-produced poultry meat and offal through Russian territory. The precautionary suspension was triggered by an incident in which a vehicle carrying poultry offal under fraudulent veterinary certificates entered the Customs Union via Poland, bound for Uzbekistan. The transit restriction will remain in force pending formal negotiations with the European Commission once the investigation results are submitted.
