October 30, 2009
US to review China's food safety laws for poultry imports
The USDA will soon review China's food safety laws and poultry plants with the intent of allowing imports of Chinese poultry products, said US agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack on Thursday (Oct 29).
Vilsack signed a letter to US Congress during trade talks in Hangzhou, China, to formally begin the review process.
The goal is to do it as quickly as possible with cooperation from China, said Vilsack.
Congress recently lifted a ban on imports of poultry from China, which has been one of several agricultural trade irritants between the two trading superpowers.
China is a top buyer of US meat, soy and other products.
During the meeting, China agreed to lift its ban on US pork, which accounted for US$560 million in trade in 2008.
Vilsack said officials did not discuss China's recent anti-dumping investigation into US poultry exports.
But he said he had a brief discussion on beef trade with his counterpart. China has banned US beef imports since the United States found its first case of mad cow disease in 2003.
There is still work to be done on the beef issue, but the focus is on pork and poultry trade, Vilsack said.
