April 2, 2009
EU approves poultry imports from seven Turkish firms
The EU has approved the importing of processed poultry from seven Turkish companies as of Sunday (Mar 29).
The seven companies, which have 70 percent of market share in Turkey, can export to the EU poultry products processed at more than 70 degrees Celsius.
The Turkish poultry industry association believes that the export approval will boost the companies' reputation and performance, and anticipate exports not only to the EU but also to the Middle East and former Soviet Union countries. The association projected exports of processed poultry products to reach 4,000 tonnes this year, but to jump to 15,000 tonnes in 2010.
The Turkish poultry sector has grown tremendously, reaching an output of 1.2 million tonnes last year compared to 752,000 tonnes in 2000, according to the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS).
