By MEGGIE I. FOSTER
Assistant Editor WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last week, U.S. Trade Rep. Ron Kirk and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that China plans to lift its ban on U.S. pork and live swine imports, squelching further misunderstanding of an H1N1 – swine connection.
“This is good news for U.S. pork producers, who have been suffering through an economic crisis for the past two years,” said National Pork Producers’ Council President Don Butler. “China is, by far, the largest potential money-making opportunity for the U.S. pork industry.”
In 2008, China was the U.S. pork industry’s fastest growing market, accounting for $560 million in U.S. exports. Then in late April, the Asian nation implemented a ban on U.S. pork in the wake of an outbreak in humans of novel H1N1 influenza. As a result of the media misnaming the influenza virus, “swine flu,” China halted further pork exports from the United States.
The U.S. pork industry shipped nearly 400,000 metric tons of pork worth nearly $690 million to China in 2008, making it the No. 3 destination for U.S. pork. This year, due mostly to the H1N1-related ban, U.S. pork exports to China through August were down by 50 percent over the same period last year.
“A Chinese market reasonably open to U.S. pork would single-handedly put a huge dent in the U.S.-China trade imbalance,” said Butler.
“China’s intent to remove its H1N1-related ban on U.S. pork marks an important step forward in cooperation between the countries on agriculture issues,” said Vilsack.
The announcement was made following a series of meetings with Chinese officials at the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT).
In discussions with Vice Premier Wang Qishan and Agriculture Minister Sun Zhengcai, Vilsack stressed the need for China to remove all restrictions on trade in pork products related to the H1N1 virus, given clear guidance from international bodies like the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), World Health Organization (WHO), and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), that there is no risk to humans from consuming properly-prepared pork.
“I would like to express my appreciation for the hard work and persistence of Secretary Vilsack and Ambassador Kirk on this issue,” said Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. “I am very pleased that the Chinese government will move to reopen its markets to United States pork, acknowledging that there was no scientific basis to bar our pork exports due to the emergence of H1N1 flu. I look forward to the full resumption of trade in pork products with China quickly.”
“We would ask that they (Obama Administration) continue to work with the Chinese government on other trade issues that are hampering our pork exports to China.” said Butler.
Among those issues Butler discussed are China’s ban on U.S. pork-produced with ractopamine, an FDA-approved feed additive that improves efficiency in pork production. Also Butler expressed concern with the subsidies China provides its domestic pork producers.
More specifically, the Chinese pork industry derives significant benefits from an exemption from corporate income taxes and a partial exemption from the country’s value-added tax.
For additional information, visit online at www.nppc.org or www.usda.gov |
