By MATTHEW WEAVER

Capital Press

U.S. producers will be able to export animal feed to Russia under an agreement the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has signed.

The agreement is for all of Russia, for anything used to make animal feed that does not contain ingredients that originated from animals, said Tanya Espinosa, spokesperson for APHIS.

Each country sets its own requirements for products it imports, Espinosa said. APHIS' role is to certify that U.S. products meet the importing country's requirements.

Ingredients are typically feed supplements or vitamin premixes containing more than one component, including grains, oilseeds or other plant-based products.

The market opened in December 2012, and the USDA expects to see trade begin early this year.

The feed can go for cattle, pigs, poultry, sheep, goats, horses or other animals. Espinosa said the level of demand is estimated at "a few million" U.S. dollars per year.

"U.S. farmers will benefit from larger demand for these products for export," she said.

Online

www.aphis.usda.gov