Forty-three members of the U.S. House of Representatives wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai, urging them to engage with Chinese officials in an effort to restore poultry trade to China.
At issue is China’s failure to honor its 2020 trade agreement by restoring market access to states that followed agreed upon protocols concerning highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
“This agreement allows states unaffected by HPAI to remain eligible for international trade during an outbreak while outlining conditions affected states must meet to regain eligibility to export products. Specifically, if HPAI was detected in poultry, a statewide ban would be enforced for all products exported from the state of detection and the resumption of imports and exports would be approved no sooner than 90 days post-virus elimination, disinfection and cleaning at all impacted sites in a state,” the members of Congress wrote.
While the letter stated that China lifted restrictions for Kentucky and Texas in July 2022 after those protocols were met, Chinese authorities have not responded to requests from those two states, as well as Oklahoma, Delaware, North Carolina, New Jersey, Arkansas, Maine and Maryland. Those states are home to 158 poultry processing and cold storage facilities.
“We respectfully request that you engage with your Chinese counterparts, and encourage them to quickly honor the regionalization agreement both countries signed in 2020, including immediately restoring market access to those states meeting all conditions set out in the agreement.
Among those to sign the letter are members of both political parties, including House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pennsylvania, and Ranking Member David Scott, D-Georgia. Rep. Barry Moore, R-Alabama, was the first name among the list of signatures.
“Poultry producers are under pressure not only to protect animal health but market health, too. American producers bet on reliable trading partners and China is not holding up their end of the deal,” Moore said in a press release. “I urge Secretary Vilsack and Ambassador Tai to engage with their Chinese counterparts and encourage them to honor the 2020 agreement and restore American market access.”
Thompson added: “Trade is one of our most valuable tools to stimulate the economy, and China’s disregard for existing regionalization protocols is negatively impacting our poultry industry. Our nation’s growers follow long-standing guidelines to ensure the health and safety of poultry products.”
