(MOSCOW) - Russia accused the European Union on Wednesday of being "lax" on the quality of food exports to Russia as a bitter meat trade dispute between Moscow and Warsaw rages on ahead of an EU-Russia summit.

"They're more lax about what leaves the EU and they're really not worried about what transits through the EU," Russia's ambassador to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov, said from Brussels through a video link-up at a press conference in Moscow.

Chizhov said that EU checks were aimed mainly at keeping up standards within the European Union. He estimated the total value of EU food exports to Russia at around five billion euros (seven billion dollars) a year.

Russia imposed a ban on meat products from Poland in 2005, which led Warsaw to veto the start of crucial talks between the European Union and Russia on coming up with a new partnership agreement.

The EU and Russia will hold a summit in Portugal on October 26.

"Unfortunately, Polish authorities are politicising the question.... There has not been been any politicisation of this issue on the Russian side. This is about protecting Russian consumers," Chizhov said.

Russia has offered to send inspectors to carry out quality checks in Poland in order to help lift the embargo but Poland has insisted that Russia lifts its ban first, he added.

Text and Picture Copyright 2007 AFP. All other Copyright 2007 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable.