Source:  Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 9/23/09

A meeting between European Union's health chief and Chinese food safety officials in Beijing this week did nothing to change China's stance regarding new restrictions on pork imports from several European countries, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

Beijing last week imposed new measures on EU states Denmark, France, Italy and Spain, in addition to Canada, requiring certification that hogs used for pork were free of H1N1 influenza. The same applied earlier to pork imports from Northern Ireland.

The EU contends the restrictions increase costs for exporters, and the bloc insists its pork is safe. The U.S. government has expressed similar frustrations to China.

"In the whole of the European Union, we only had a case in a particular farm in Northern Ireland of the H1N1 virus and we have taken very strict measures regarding the biosecurity of that farm," Androulla Vassilou, EU's health and food safety commissioner, was quoted as saying. She also cited declarations by leading world health organizations stating H1N1 is not transmitted by eating pork.

However, China remains adamant.

"We have to protect China from the transmission of the epidemic from overseas, and we also have to prevent the epidemic in China from spreading further," Yu Taiwei, head of food safety for imports and exports at the General Administration for Quality Supervision Inspection & Quarantine, was quoted as saying.

Taiwei denied that the new rules amount to a trade restriction. "The measures comply fully with the WTO regulations."

For more stories, go to www.meatingplace.com.