July 19, 2004

EU To Allow Some Animal Product Imports From China

The European Commission said EU ministers have agreed to restart imports of some animal products from China after veterinary standards improved. But they will maintain the ban on poultry because of the bird flu outbreak and the ban on pork, beef and dairy products.

In January 2002, the commission suspended imports of products of animal origin from China for food safety reasons because of the presence of veterinary medicines.

Restrictions for most animal products, except poultry which is not allowed into the EU due to bird flu, will be lifted because of corrective measures introduced to control and monitor the residues.

The Chinese have undertaken to test all consignments at export and to issue a sanitary certificate only for those consignments found to be in conformity with EU requirements.

The commission said it still has concerns, however, about the safety of chicken and other poultry products following the recent re-emergence of avian influenza in East Asia.

A long-standing ban on the import of pork, beef and dairy products remains in place because of various animal diseases prevalent in China, such as foot and mouth disease.