Russian brewers have asked the government to postpone the entry into force of the EAEU technical regulations “About safety of alcoholic production” because of the need to Refine some definitions. Document provided the concept of beer reduces the necessary amount of malt content from 80% to 50%, which may lead to a reduction of its production and reduce the acreage on 230 hectares and Claims to the text of the rules is and multinational companies as well as producers of strong alcohol. The latter, for example, warn about the impossibility of Russian sales of tequila in the adoption of the document in its current form.The Union of Russian brewers, as well as a number of other industry organizations and directly to Breweries and malting companies went to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin with the request to postpone the entry into force of the EAEU technical regulations “On safety of alcohol products”. A copy of the letter is “b”.The regulation shall enter into force in January 2021. But, according to market participants, in the document it is necessary to amend the definition of beer. The current formulation reduces the necessary level of malt in the beverage industry from 80% to 50%. This can lead to a reduction in the volume of malt production by 30% and decrease in acreage by 230 thousand hectares, said in the letter. In the office of Michael mishustina to questions “b” is not answered.According to Deputy General Director of OOO “Avangard-agro-trade”, involved in the cultivation of barley, Lyudmila Zharkova, area the acreage of malting barley in 2019 amounted to 575 thousand hectares, and the volume of malt production — 1.4 million tons. However, even now existing in Russia, malting plants, providing 100% of the needs of the brewing industry, working only 70% of its capacity, stresses Ms. Zharkova.According to market participants, the malt of high quality malting barley will be replaced by low-margin grains and malt molasses. The authors of the letter fear that the Russian brewers will be in the result in disadvantage to multinational companies, occupying 70% of the market. Additional profit large brewers when using 50% unmalted grain products, according to the Russian companies, will amount to 5.5 billion rubles. Director of corporate relations at Heineken Cyril Bolmatov notes that restrictions on the content of malt in beer wasn’t until 2012. Then they were introduced at the initiative of producers of malt, says the Lord Bolmatov. According to him, the quality of the beer rules are not affected, but the manufacturers that use less than 80% malt, it was necessary to call their products beer beverage.But in the technical regulations there are other, more significant points that need improvement, added Mr Bolmatov. Thus, the current edition of malting barley can to be only cultivars. This deprives producers of the ability to use new varieties that have not undergone the process of zoning, as well as imported raw materials, said Kirill Bolmatov. He also noted that water requirements for the production of beer for all the EEU countries and for Russia the most rigid.There are comments on the current edition of the technical regulations and the producers of strong alcohol. So, according to the head of corporate relations at Diageo Russia Dmitry Petrov, descriptions of certain categories are different from international practices, including those used in EU countries. For example, the definition of liqueurs, containing the requirements for product is formulated so that some types have to be imported to Russia, calling them spirits, says Mr. Petrov.Similar situation, according to him, the whiskey, where a number of varieties can also called just alcohol. The tequila generally does not fall under one concept of technical regulations, adds Dmitry Petrov. Even the definition of liquor is limited to an acceptable level of methanol, which does not coincide with the technology of production of tequila, which can lead to the impossibility of importing this product into the territory of the EAEU and its turnover.Maria Kotova
