The Russian agency Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) this week temporarily banned salmon imports from Chile along with several livestock products, for violations of the country's sanitary regulations.

Temporary import restrictions have been placed on Chilean salmon giants that include Camanchaca, Acme Chile, Cermaq Chile, Inversiones Coihuin and Nova Austral. Some operations for Multiexport and Cermaq were also singled out for "enhanced laboratory monitoring" by the agency.

Russian import restrictions on Inversiones Coihuin and Nova Austral have already taken effect. Cermaq Chile's restrictions will begin Nov. 12, according to the Russian agency.

Rosselkhoznadzor authorities said "in the near future Rosselkhoznadzor plans to hold a series of video conferences with the Chilean authorities to discuss the technical side of the restrictions and agree on the timing and inspection program of the Chilean fish processing establishments."

"It is a normal practice not any extraordinary case" to have these temporary restrictions, according to the Russian agency.

Restrictions can be lifted individually for each company in two ways. The first would be through the next inspection by the Russian authorities, with the nearest one scheduled for November. The other way is through a report from Chilean sanitary authorities describing what has been done to remove the restrictions.

Rodrigo Yanes of the Russian-Chilean Intergovernmental Commission said Russia can view Chile as a stable trading partner, according to Rosselkhoznadzor. He added he will provide maximum assistance to Russia while the restrictions exist.

In recent years, Russia has become an import market for Chilean salmon producers, following a ban by Russia on imports of seafood from some Western countries.

Russia was once one of the seafood sector's most promising market for Norwegian seafood suppliers in particular.

But since the 2015 ban on seafood imports from several Western countries, the Norwegian salmon industry alone has lost NOK 20 billion (€2 billion/$2.3 billion), according to estimates from Asbjørn Warvik Rørtveit, director of market insight and market access at the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC).