International Business

Russia Holding Fast on U.S. Chicken Ban: Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zaveryukha said his country can do without the poultry, according to the Russian news agency Interfax. The Russian government, citing health concerns, decided several weeks ago to halt imports that weren’t already in the pipeline, meaning the flow will dry up in mid-March. Zaveryukha described a letter he received from Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman in response to the ban as “rather condescending,” Interfax reported. News of the ban sent shares of Tyson Foods Inc. plunging 10% one day last week. U.S. officials say the Russian objections, which involve heavy-metal residues and salmonella bacteria, are not based on sound science and are merely an attempt to slow imports and allow the beleaguered Russian chicken industry to develop.