* Technical advisers to hold talks around Jan. 17
* Vilsack says failure to resolve issue may impact ties
* Chlorine wash, reason for chicken ban, used in Russia too
By Sue Pleming
SHANNON, Ireland, Jan 9 (Reuters) - U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on Saturday he hoped for "meaningful" talks with Moscow next week over a ban on U.S. poultry, warning relations would be harmed if the issue were not resolved.
Vilsack said a team of U.S. technical experts was due in Russia around Jan. 17 to discuss this month's ban on U.S. poultry imports because of Moscow's concern over a commonly used chlorine treatment.
"Our hope is that they (Russia) first and foremost recognize the difficulties that this is going to create for the industry in our country and their country and their consumers, and hopefully understand the impact this will have generally on our relationship," said Vilsack, without giving details.
"Our hope is that there are some meaningful discussions there," he said of the Moscow talks.
Vilsack said U.S. research indicated many Russian establishments also used chlorine treatments on poultry and the new regulation was a problem for them too, a view he made clear to Russia's agriculture minister.
"We suggested that the proposed regulation was probably not workable, not just from the U.S. perspective but from their own establishments," Vilsack said on a brief refuelling stop in Ireland en route to Asia.
In 2008, Russia bought $801 million worth of U.S. chicken, making it the United States' biggest export market.
TRANSIT CHICKEN ALLOWED
Vilsack said there was agreement that chicken already in transit to Russia would be allowed in under the old system, and said he hoped next week's talks would result in a "better understanding of the system and the risks that are inherent in the new framework that they are proposing."
Russia made the new law effective on Jan. 1, prohibiting chlorine -- a rinsing method used for more than 25 years -- as an anti-microbial treatment for poultry.
The United States believes the new rule is unjustified, saying scientific evidence shows it to be a safe and effective disinfectant to kill pathogens that can cause food poisoning.
Trade tensions involving technical and health-related barriers have flared regularly between the two nations since the United States began shipping large volumes of chicken and pork to Russia more than a decade ago.
Washington has said Russia's concerns are unwarranted and that its demands go far beyond international scientific standards used by members of the World Trade Organisation.
Russia does not belong to the WTO so is not bound by its standards, and some experts say the problem over chicken shows why the United States should help Russia complete the drawn-out process of accession.
Blocking U.S. meat imports helps Russia boost demand and prices for domestic farmers, and many in the United States believe protectionism is at the root of the barriers.
Moscow has also banned pork imports from all but six U.S. processing plants because of a dispute over standards for antibiotic residues.
An aide to Vilsack said the issue of pork products might also be raised during the talks next week. In 2008, Russia bought $476 million of U.S. pork, putting it in the top five importers. (Reporting by Sue Pleming; editing by Tim Pearce; tel: 1 202 422 1008)