IDFA recently learned that Russia has closed its borders to all commodities from countries, including the United States, that have not established a list of facilities that meet specific Russian requirements. The three U.S. dairy exports that could be most affected by this action are milk powder, butterfat and cheese.

The United States and Russia have been in discussions for the past two years regarding a dairy export certificate that would satisfy Russian demands, but the two countries have yet to reach agreement on the language to use. This recent ban compounds action taken by Russia in 2009, demanding that the United States furnish a list of dairy facilities that had implemented Russian veterinary-sanitary requirements before U.S. exports would be accepted.

"These requirements have proved to be problematic for other U.S. commodity exports to Russia," said Clay Hough, IDFA senior group vice president. "We are negotiating for a resolution to this problem based on sound science and reasonable commercial certainty for U.S. dairy exporters."

IDFA, the U.S. Dairy Export Council and other dairy organizations will continue to work with U.S. government officials to address this difficult issue.

U.S. dairy exports to Russia during the past two years have averaged $36 million, according to USDEC. Sales for the first seven months of this year totaled $27 million.