Russia threatens U.S. pork and poultry trade

In a move reminiscent of the Cold War, Russia said it would reduce U.S. pork and poultry imports by “hundreds of thousands of tons.” The Russians followed up their rhetoric by delisting 19 U.S. poultry plants and issuing warnings to 22 others for “excessive levels of arsenic, salmonella and E. coli.”

How important is Russia to U.S. trade? In the first half of 2008, Russia represented 9.2 percent of U.S. pork exports. With exports soaking up 23 percent of total U.S. pork output, loss o