The U.S. and China entered into an agreement that U.S. regions unaffected by highly pathogenic avian influenza or virulent Newcastle disease will still be eligible for the continued international trade of poultry products, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced today.
The agreement is part of the continuing process to implement the U.S.-China Phase One Economic and Trade Agreement, a trade deal entered into force on February 14 the Trump administration says will give a big boost to American agriculture.
Reduces the impact of possible disease outbreaks
The latest agreement helps both countries maintain export markets, aiding farmers and ranchers and reducing the overall impact of possible disease outbreaks.
“The agreement with China allows trade of poultry products to continue from unaffected regions of the country should the U.S. detect any future cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza or virulent Newcastle disease,” according to a press release announcing the agreement.
In return, the U.S has agreed to participate in reciprocal regionalization once China has official recognized disease-free zones. Additionally, both countries will not impose trade restrictions upon each other if low pathogenic avian influenza is found.
How regionalization works
Regionalization is a tool used by animal health officials to prevent the spread of disease. Because animals in unaffected regions are kept separate and there is minimal risk of disease spread, these regions are still eligible to participate in international trade.
The regionalization agreement outlines the steps the U.S. and China must take to ensure safety if high pathogenicity avian influenza is detected, including controlling the area, notifying the other country, suspending imports and exports, culling and disinfection, how to monitor the situation and when to resume imports and exports.
