MOSCOW, April 1 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s food safety and sanitary watchdog said it would ban the import of frozen beef from Australia beginning next week, after samples tested positive for the growth steroid trenbolone, Prime business news agency reported on Tuesday.
“Beginning April 7, we will introduce a ban on the import of frozen beef from Australia,” the agency quoted Alexei Alekseyenko, an aide to Rosselkhoznadzor’s head, as saying.
Trenbolone is a synthetic hormone used to increase growth and development and has many potentially dangerous side effects. The substance is banned by Russian import law.
“We can no longer accept guarantees from our Australian colleagues,” Alekseyenko said.
Rosselkhoznadzor has no plans to introduce bans on other meat products from Australia.
The country is one of Russia’s biggest beef suppliers, with a total of 47 exporters having access to the Russian market.
In late January, the watchdog banned beef by-products from the southern country after samples tested positive for steroids.