Canadian Beef and Pork Exporters Responsible for Testing Meat Destined for Russia

Dec 12, 2012

Testing for Ractopamine - A New Requirement for Meat Exports to Russia

Canadian Federal Ag Minister Gerry Ritz announced Tuesday that exporters are responsible for satisfying the new Russian requirement for beef and pork meat products for zero residue of the feed additive ractopamine.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has provided meat processors with a set of testing guidelines to meet the new Russian meat export requirements.

"At this point, we're making sure the Russians understand this is not science-based," Ritz said at an unrelated news conference in Winnipeg. "There is an agreement around the world that ractopamine is a safe and usable product."

Russia’s request is that beef and pork products being imported from both Canada and the U.S. to be free ractopamine as of Dec 7. Canada has requested that Russia delay the new regulatory requirement until February.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.