Appropriations Agreement Hailed by Top Leaders
USDA, USTR and NPPC all respond favorably to agreement of conference committee.
Compiled by staff
Published: Sep 28, 2009
A conference committee agreement would allow USDA to use appropriated funds in FY 2010 to implement a rule allowing imports of processed poultry or poultry products from China, but only after the Secretary of Agriculture notifies Congress that certain conditions have been met.
Both Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk released statements voicing their satisfaction with the agreement. In reaction to the agreement, National Pork Producers Council President Don Butler said, conducting a science-based risk assessment of Chinese processed poultry sends a strong signal to China that the U.S. abides by its trade obligations and will base decisions about imports on sound science.
Kirk says the agreement provides a strong means to address food safety concerns while recognizing the need to base health measures on scientific principles. "The conferees have acted in Americans' best interests in two ways: by insisting on the safety of our food supply, and also by maintaining America's leadership in the rules-based global trading system."
Under U.S. law, poultry and poultry products may not be imported from any foreign country unless USDA determines that the food safety standards, facilities, and conditions of that country achieve a level of sanitary protection equivalent to that achieved by U.S. standards. If USDA determines that a country achieves this level of protection for some or all poultry products, it issues a rule permitting import of such products, subject to border inspection and other requirements.
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