China Lifts Ban on US Poultry Imports

China’s decision to lift import restrictions on U.S. poultry is expected to pave the way for more than $1 billion in U.S. poultry exports to China each year, the U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said Nov. 14. China’s customs agency and Ministry of Agriculture announced on Nov. 14 the country would be lifting the restrictions, according to a report from China’s state-run news agency Xinhua, allowing imports of U.S. poultry products for the first time since the ban began in 2015.

Lighthizer called the announcement “great news” for U.S. farmers, saying China is an “important export market.” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said U.S. exporters welcome the news after “being shut out” of China for years. “We will continue our work to expand market access in important markets like China as well as other countries, to support our producers and U.S. jobs,” Perdue said. The U.S. also recently finalized rules to allow imports of Chinese poultry products from birds slaughtered in China.

Lifting the Chinese ban has been a “top priority” for the U.S. poultry industry for years, the National Chicken Council, the National Turkey Federation and the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council said in a Nov. 14 joint statement. The groups said the renewed access could result in $1 billion worth of exports “for chicken paws alone” and “another $1 billion of potential exports of other chicken products” due to Chinese consumers shifting to chicken because of high prices for pork caused by the African swine fever outbreak. “We are extremely pleased that we will once again have the opportunity to share these products with Chinese consumers,” the trade groups said. “We look forward to resuming a trade partnership with China in the coming weeks.”