Russian Federation – Measures on the importation of live pigs, pork
and other pig products from the European Union

Request for Consultations by the European Union

        The following communication, dated 8 April 2014, from the delegation of the European Union to the delegation of the Russian Federation and to the Chairperson of the Dispute Settlement Body, is circulated in accordance with Article 4.4 of the DSU.

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My authorities have instructed me to request consultations with the Government of the Russian Federation (Russia) pursuant to Articles 1 and 4 of the WTO Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes, Article XXIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 (GATT 1994), and Article 11 of the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement), concerning certain measures adopted by Russia affecting the importation of live pigs and their genetic material, pork, pork products and certain other commodities (the products at issue) from the European Union (the EU), purportedly because of concerns related to isolated cases of African Swine Fever (ASF).

Background to the dispute and the SPS measures at issue

Following two cases of ASF in wild boar in the south-eastern part of Lithuania on 24 January 2014, Russia ceased accepting certain of the products at issue from the entire EU as of 27 January 2014. Two more cases in wild boar were reported in the eastern region of Poland on 17 and 19 February 2014. The Russian measures, amounting to the adoption, maintenance and/or application of an import ban or import restrictions, are evidenced, inter alia, by the following.

On 29 January 2014, two administrative notices from the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance were issued (FS-SA-7/1275 and FS-SA-8/1277).