WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - Canada has asked Russia to delay implementation of its new requirement for no residue of the feed additive ractopamine in imported pork and beef, Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said on Friday.

"We have asked Russia for a delay in the implementation of this decision to allow for a thorough and science-based discussion between Canadian and Russian officials," Ritz said in an emailed statement to Reuters.

(Reporting by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Manitoba; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)