Russia's ban on imports of chilled German meat is unjustified and disproportionate and must be reversed immediately, the European Union said, according to a filing at the WTO seen by Reuters on Thursday.
Russia has said the ban, which took effect on Feb. 4, was intended "to secure safety of imported chilled pork, beef and poultry from Germany to Russia". It is not related to the European horsemeat scandal.
"The European Union strongly disputes the basis for this notification (by Russia)," the EU said in the filing, which was sent to the WTO on Feb. 8 and circulated to the global trade body's members on Feb. 13.
(Reuters)