Russia set quotas for next year's meat imports on Friday, ending market worries of major trade disruptions with the country's key meat suppliers. Market players had feared imports could come to a standstill from Jan.1 if the government did not have enough time to approve the measure. Last year, the government set meat import quotas on December 2.

A statement published on Friday in the official government gazette said Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov had signed resolutions setting the 2005 poultry import quota at 1.05 million tonnes, unchanged from this year.

Pork imports would rise to 467,400 tonnes from 450,000 tonnes, the statement said.

Frozen beef imports will be raised to 430,000 tonnes from 420,000 tonnes. Chilled beef imports will stay flat at around 27,500 tonnes.

Russia has restricted meat imports by quotas from 2003 to protect domestic livestock breeders. The United States has the bulk of the poultry meat quota and a big chunk of pork quotas.

Under the new quota regime, the United States will receive a poultry quota of 771,900 tonnes, the European Union is granted 205,000 tonnes, Paraguay will receive a quota of 5,000 tonnes, while other states will obtain the remaining 68,100 tonnes.

The United States will also receive a pork quota of 53,800 tonnes, the European Union of 236,000 tonnes, Paraguay of 1,000 tonnes and other states 176,600 tonnes.

The United States will also be allowed to export 17,700 tonnes of frozen beef, the European Union obtained a quota of 339,700 tonnes, Paraguay will export 3,000 tonnes, while other states have the remaining 69,600 tonnes.

Despite wide expectations, Brazil, an important supplier of beef, pork and poultry to Russia, did not get a separate quota.

Copyright Reuters, 2005