House Panel To Block Processed Poultry Imports From China

US - China shouldn't be allowed to export processed chicken to the U.S., a U.S. House of Representatives panel agreed Wednesday as a provision to the fiscal year 2007 agriculture appropriations bill.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced April 20 that it had decided to allow China to sell processed poultry to the U.S. so long as it wasn't from birds raised or slaughtered in China.

USDA officials had said they made the April rule change upon requests by China. The department made the announcement in conjunction with a visit to the U.S. by a Chinese delegation in April.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn, said she authored the amendment out of concern that China, which has suffered outbreaks of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, may not properly process the chicken.

"Despite warnings from FSIS's own inspectors of the safety of Chinese plants, and the possibility that we could bring a pandemic into our borders, this rule was fast-tracked and imports will soon be coming into our country," DeLauro said. "We need to stop this rule..."

Source: CattleNetwork

4 May 2006