Bipartisan Letter Asks USDA, USTR to Press China on Avian Flu Protocols
As part of the phase one trade agreement, China agreed to allow imports of chicken on a state-by-state basis after avian influenza cases, as long as 90 days had passed since the last case, and disinfection protocols had been completed.
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According to a bipartisan letter led by Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., and Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., China followed the agreement in July 2022, allowing imports from Texas and Kentucky after outbreaks in those states in February and April, but then reversed course a few weeks later. Since then, the members said, the General Administration of Customs China has not restored export privileges for seven other states, even though they, too, have passed at least 90 days without bird flu in their flocks.
The 42 members of the House, including Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson, asked USDA and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to press GACC to speak with the Agriculture Department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, "and to honor their 2020 trade agreement by restoring market access to states who followed agreed upon Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza protocols. These affected states include 158 poultry processing and cold storage facilities and represent 43 percent of boiler production in the United States." The lawmakers said China is the primary buyer of chicken feet, and bought $880 million worth in 2022.
"Trade is one of our most valuable tools to stimulate the economy, and China’s disregard for existing regionalization protocols is negatively impacting our poultry industry. Our nation’s growers follow long-standing guidelines to ensure the health and safety of poultry products. The Biden Administration must engage with the GACC to uphold our trade agreements and reopen this critical export market for U.S. poultry," Thompson said in a press release.