Poland protests Austrian, Danish pork sales to Russia

Poland will lodge a protest with the European Union (EU) over Austrian and Danish pork sales to Russia despite Russia's ban on EU pork, Agriculture Minister Marek Sawicki said Wednesday. Russia embargoed EU pork after the discovery of African Swine Fever (ASF) in Lithuania and Poland respectively in January and February. Sawicki said that in this situation pork sales to Russia by Austria and Denmark were "illegal", according to local media. Sawicki told reporters that an Austrian pork livestock transport to Russia had crossed Poland several days ago and another from Denmark on Wednesday. He added that he had informed EU Health Commissioner Tonio Borg about Poland's protest in this matter and had asked Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski to send a "strong protest note." Commenting his conversation with Borg, Sawicki said that according to the commissioner neither Austria nor Denmark had negotiated pork sales with Russia.