Amid ongoing bans and reinstatements of pork exports to its country, Russia has imposed suspensions - this time, against two processing plants, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service.
They affect the JBS' Marshalltown plant, as well as Smithfield Foods-owned John Morrell in Sioux City, South Dakota.
Sanctions stemmed from the country's finding of excessive amounts of tetracycline in shipments.
Last March, Russia agreed to reinstate imports by 13 other plants after claiming it found traces of banned antibiotics in meat shipped by the companies.
Tetracycline is a feed additive commonly used with pork and chicken to ward off bacterial infections.
The USDA and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative had been in negotiations with the Russian Veterinary Service since Dec. 2009. Talks resulted in the development of a new veterinary certificate to ensure that pork exports from the U.S. meet microbiological and tetracycline-group antibiotic residue requirements.
The Marshalltown company transports product to approximately 26 countries.
"Our plant values its export business and we service many different companies daily," General Manager Troy Mulgrew said Monday. "We've successfully serviced Russia in the past, we're researching the guidelines and we feel confident we can meet them."
The FSIS said both plants can ship product which is certified for export until the ban takes effect Nov. 4.
Russia halted pork shipments from Smithfield plants in Clinton and Tar Heel, NC, as well as Seaboard Foods in Guymon, Ok. last July. No reason was given why, the USDA reported.
The country's bans have also affected shipments from several other countries including Germany, Spain, Holland and France.
Russia imported $257 million worth of U.S. pork, around 6 percent, in 2009.