WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has asked Russia to suspend immediately a new requirement that U.S. meat products be tested and certified free of the feed additive ractopamine, a USDA official said on Friday.

Instead, the U.S. government has offered to have further technical talks with Moscow on the safety of the drug, typically used to promote leanness in pigs.

A U.S. meat exporters' group said on Friday that Moscow's unexpected testing requirement could halt beef and pork exports as early as Saturday if not reversed, because the USDA has no testing and certification program in place for ractopamine.

(Reporting by Ros Krasny; Editing by Dale Hudson)