USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) published in the Federal Register today its proposed rule regarding China’s  poultry slaughter system and its equivalence to the U.S. system.

In March this year, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) finalized an audit showing that China’s poultry slaughter system met the criteria for an equivalence determination.  However, FSIS still needed to take additional steps before it could make a determination as to whether China’s system for poultry slaughter is equivalent and therefore that China’s is eligible to export poultry that was slaughtered in China to the United States.

FSIS still must take a number of steps, the first of which will be the publishing of the proposed rule, followed by a comment period, before it can make a final determination as to whether China is equivalent and thus eligible to export poultry to the United States that was slaughtered and cooked in Chinese establishments.

Once the comment period closes, FSIS will assess the comments and then make a final determination on China’s equivalence and publish a final decision in the Federal Register.  If FSIS ultimately finds that China’s system is equivalent, China will be elible to export processed poultry sourced from China to the United States.

U.S. chicken has been blocked by China since January 2015, when the country issued a blanket ban on all U.S. poultry over issues related to avian influenza.  Poultry exports to China peaked in 2008, with an export value of $722 million.

“NCC and our members support free and fair trade.  In order to be effective, free trade must operate as a two-way street.  Any country that is able to meet the stringent food safety standards set by USDA should be able to compete in a marketplace free of protectionism and artificial trade barriers,”  National Chicken Council President Mike Brown said in a statement today.

“I am optimistic that as our negotiators continue the dialogue with China, U.S. broiler access issues to China will be resolved expeditiously,” Brown said.

“The United States is the most efficient producer of poultry products in the world. Our comparative advantage in producing and marketing these products derives from both our access to America’s abundant production of high quality feed grain and soybean products which are used to feed our flocks; and from America’s technological leadership in poultry genetics and breeding, precision feed formulation, and animal health practices. Because of our significant comparative advantage, it is difficult for other countries to compete both here and abroad and as such, the U.S. imports very little poultry products.

According the rule, ‘The immediate impact on the United States consumers and domestic producers is likely to be minor, as the low volume of trade is likely to have little effect on supply, demand and prices.

NCC looks forward to reviewing the details of the rule and providing comments to the agency during the 60-day public comment period, ” Brown said.

For Frequently Asked Questions on USDA’s Equivalence of China’s Poultry Processing and Slaughter Inspection Systems, please click here.

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