Brasília, 1/28/2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Brazilian pork farmers met with minister of Agriculture, Roberto Rodrigues, yesterday to demand that Brazil renegotiate urgently the sale of pork to Russia. The minister promised he will begin talks immediately. "We cannot stop selling pork to Russia, one of our main buyers," he said. Last year Brazil exported 475,000 tons of pork, of which 377,000 tons went to Russia.

The problem is that on December 23, Russia suspended imports of Brazilian pork after Ujeszky disease was discovered in Santa Catarina pork. In order to control the outbreak, a total of 83,000 pigs were slaughtered. (AB)