Summary Russia's veterinary oversight agency will stop Moldovan processed beef.
MOSCOW (AFP) - Brussels on Thursday condemned a move by Russia to ban meat imports from Moldova, which it indicated might be retaliation against the ex-Soviet country for signing a historic deal with the EU.
Russia s veterinary oversight agency will stop Moldovan processed beef, horse meat, lamb and pork from entering the country for what it said were "crude violations" of the Moscow-led Customs Union s regulations.
From Saturday, only carcasses, semi-carcasses and quarter-carcasses will be allowed into Russia, said the agency.
EU Trade spokesman John Clancy said Brussels "regrets" the ban, pointing out that it came as the Moldovan parliament ratified an association and free trade agreement with the EU.
The EU accords delivered a stinging blow to Moscow s hopes that Chisinau would join the Moscow-led Customs Union, which already includes Belarus and Kazakhstan.
Instead, Moldova has followed fellow ex-Soviet countries Ukraine and Georgia in boosting its links with the EU in a move seen as a major snub to the Kremlin.
Ukraine s Moscow-backed leader Viktor Yanukovych was ousted after months of street protests in February for rejecting the deal for closer European ties.
Moscow had repeatedly warned its ex-Soviet neighbours against the move, saying it would be forced to protect its markets and introduce higher tariffs.
Clancy said the accord between Brussels and Chisinau was "fully compatible with Moldova-Russian preferential trade arrangements".
