Russia to Impose Ban on Poultry From U.S.

Russia will ban imports of U.S. poultry as of March 10, saying it is concerned that chlorine-based disinfectants used by U.S. producers such as Tyson Foods Inc. may cause cancer, the Agriculture Ministry said.

Mikhail Kravchuk, head of the ministry’s veterinary department, approved the ban after the U.S. failed to respond to Russia’s request for a list of drugs and hormones added to chicken feed.

The decision came two days after Russian steelmakers asked the government to block U.S. chicken imports, worth about $660 million last year, if the Bush administration imposed sanctions on Russian steel.

Russia is the world’s largest poultry importer and the U.S. is its No. 1 supplier. The European Union barred U.S. poultry imports in 1997 because of laws banning the use of chlorine in processing.