US to review China poultry laws

The US Agriculture Department will soon begin a review of China's food safety laws and poultry plants with an eye to allowing imports of Chinese poultry products, US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.

Vilsack signed a letter to US Congress during trade talks in Hangzhou, China to formally begin the review process.

"Our goal and our intent is to do this as expeditiously as possible with cooperation from China," Vilsack said in a telephone interview from Hangzhou.

Congress recently lifted a ban on imports of poultry from China, which has been one of several agricultural trade irritants between the two trading superpowers.

China is a top buyer of US-grown meat, chicken, soybeans and other products.

During the meeting, China agreed to lift its ban on US pork, which accounted for $560 million in trade in 2008.
Vilsack said Chinese Agriculture Minister Sun Zhengcai said China would make a formal announcement about the end of pork ban "very soon."