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Lithuanian meat gains access to U.S. market

Xinhua, August 28, 2015 Adjust font size:

The United States has opened its market to Lithuanian meat producers, announced Lithuanian veterinary officials on Thursday.

Jonas Milius, director of the Lithuanian State Food and Veterinary Service, said having received the news during a telephone call from the officials of the U.S. Department of Agriculture with official statement expected on Friday.

The news has been long awaited to meat producers from the small Baltic country, since both sides started the negotiations in 2004.

"During this period, we have provided the U.S. experts with a complete set of documentation on Lithuanian veterinary and food control," said Milius in a press release.

"At least five U.S. delegations have visited our country which had examined our code of controlling meat production, as well as measures to curb the African Swine Fever," he added.

According to Milius, Lithuania is one of the first countries in the European Union agreeing on the broadest exports of meat production.

"Besides, we are just the second country in the European Union, receiving permission to export beef production to the U.S.," said the State Food and Veterinary Service in the press release.

Ireland has been the only allowed exporting beef to the United States since bovine spongiform encephalopathy struck Europe in 1999.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius highlighted the importance of the permission amid a year of efforts of Lithuanian food producers to diversify their exports markets after Russian banned food imports in 2014.

"I am happy with a great achievement during this difficult period for our farmers, since traditional Eastern market has been shut due to embargo policy," said Butkevicius in a statement. Endit