Following recent reports in China that it had received a favorable interim decision from the World Trade Organization dispute panel on the export of its chicken meat to the United States , some members of Congress already are calling for an appeal.
House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) says the United States should appeal the confidential WTO finding that the ban violated U.S. obligations under WTO agreements.
"This clearly was a decision that was based on facilitating trade, not protecting the public health," said DeLauro. "The evidence is overwhelming that the Chinese food safety system is inadequate, and this ruling is a gross violation of basic public health protections," she said in a statement. "It should be our utmost priority to protect our citizens, including their health, and that means scrutinizing products from countries whose food safety systems pose risks.
"I can only hope that the U.S. Trade Representative acted in the best interests of public health in the United States , and I strongly urge them to appeal this decision."
DeLauro sponsored provisions in annual Agriculture appropriations measures that blocked the import of processed chicken from China .
