Source:  Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 9/25/09

The Obama administration Friday applauded agreement by a House/Senate conference committee on language in the 2010 agricultural appropriations bill that would allow imports of processed poultry or poultry products from China after the Secretary of Agriculture notifies Congress that certain conditions have been met.

The conference report language, which frees up funds for USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service to conduct risk assessments needed to allow imports of cooked Chinese chicken products, brings the House of Representatives in line with the Senate on this issue, which has been a source of trade friction between China and the United States. The conference committee version of the bill must now be approved by the House and the Senate and signed into law by the president.


The National Turkey Federation and the National Pork Producers Council both cheered the decision.

"We applaud the conferees for finding a path forward that will permit USDA to conduct a science-based risk assessment of Chinese processed poultry," said NPPC President Don Butler. "It sends a strong signal to China that the U.S. abides by its trade obligations and will base decisions about imports on sound science. We expect China to do the same."

China has been refusing imports of U.S. pork products since an outbreak of H1N1 influenza, even though the virus is not transmitted by hogs or pork.