"People around the world want to buy our high quality pork, and this Government is making sure that Canadian farmers have access to those markets," said Minister Ritz. "Russia is a key market for Canadian pork, and I would like to thank my counterpart, Alexey Gordeyev, Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, for working with me to resolve this issue."

Russia closed the border to Canadian pork on April 1, 2008, because of concerns about fraudulent export documents. The Government has swiftly addressed those concerns by having the Canadian Food Inspection Agency increase the security features on certificates. Russia is Canada's third largest market for pork. Canadian pork exports to Russia in 2007 totalled $144.8 million.

"This Government promised to restore Canada's place on the world stage," said Minister Ritz. "This is a good example of the positive results this Government is delivering through strong and respectful working relationships with countries such as Russia."