China lifts restrictions on US poultry imports

BEIJING - China has lifted restrictions on the import of poultry products from the United States, according to a joint statement of the General Administration of Customs and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Thursday.

In a bid to ward off the flu epidemic and protect China's poultry production, China banned the import of poultry and related products from the United States after avian influenza outbreaks occurred in some parts of the United States in 2013 and 2014.

The United States actively took preventive and control measures afterward, and no new cases have been reported in the United States since March 2017. The United States submitted a report to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) to close the event in August 2017.

At the invitation of the US side, a Chinese team of experts visited the United States in July 2017 to conduct a field assessment of avian influenza prevention and control systems and poultry meat surveillance measures.

In May 2018, China and the United States held consultations on this issue. After a comprehensive assessment, China believes that the avian flu epidemic in the United States has been effectively controlled, and the country's poultry meat regulatory system meets the requirements of relevant laws and regulations in China.

The poultry industry in the United States is relatively developed, with its poultry output ranking first in the world, said officials with the General Administration of Customs and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

After lifting the restrictions on US poultry products, China's poultry import source will be further expanded so as to meet market demands effectively, the officials said.