Russian and Brazilian government officials plan to hold more talks regarding meat and poultry trade issues, according to Interfax News Agency. Issues reportedly include Russia’s intentions to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) as well as Russia’s ongoing trade embargo against more than 80 Brazilian meat processing plants.

Brazil is reportedly committed to supporting Russia’s entry into the WTO later this year.  However, Russia’s embargo against meat imports from processors in three Brazilian states have caused Brazil to hold off on a final commitment for Russia’s WTO membership.  Russia said it intends to send their inspectors back to Brazil to revisit processing plants that have been included in the embargo since June this year.  Brazilian officials said Russia will need to publish a first draft of its commitment in the coming weeks on how it will open the Russian market for expanded global imports if Russia  wants to achieve WTO membership.

Russia has reported that the tariff rate quota for poultry would heavily favor chicken parts, such as leg quarters from the United States.  This position discriminates against whole broilers, which is Brazil’s primary poultry export product.  Last week, however, Russia shared revisions in the poultry tariff rate quota that Brazil’s poultry industry found “positive,” according to certain sources.