MOSCOW, July 16 (Reuters) - Russia said on Thursday it had
lifted a ban on meat imports from the U.S. states of New York
and Utah and softened it for the state of Wisconsin due to the
improved situation surrounding the H1N1 virus.
The animal and plant health watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor said
it now applies a ban on imports of live pigs and uncooked pork
from only two U.S. states -- Florida and Wisconsin, as well as
to Canada's Ontario, the whole of Great Britain and three
Japanese prefectures.
It applies a tougher ban of all types of meat from Mexico,
Central American and Caribbean states.
The ban is also applied to all raw and cooked meat products
which may be carried in the personal luggage of passengers and
crew, as well as to food served on board airplanes and ships
which have stopped in these states.
The spread of the virus, commonly known as swine flu, is not
caused by pigs and pork, but some countries including Russia
have reacted to the name of the disease.
The World Health Organization has confirmed 94,512 cases
globally and 429 deaths from the H1N1 flu, which was declared a
pandemic last month. Russia has registered only 4 cases of H1N1
virus on its territory, none of them fatal.
(Reporting by Aleksandras Budrys, Editing by Peter Blackburn)
Keywords: FLU RUSSIA/BAN
