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1 1 (March 12, 2015)

handle is hein.crs/crsuntaajfi0001 and id is 1 raw text is: SCongressional Researh Service (Informr ng th e (egIsIative debate since 1914 March 12, 2015 Chicken Imports from China In August 2013, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) granted equivalency to China's poultry processing system. This determination allows China to export processed (cooked) poultry meat to the United States. Imports from China must be sourced from U.S.-slaughtered poultry or from other countries allowed to export raw poultry to the United States (Canada, Chile, and France, as of March 2015). USDA's action in August 2013 was the culmination of the equivalency determination process that began a decade earlier. The possibility that the United States could import poultry meat processed in China has raised concerns about lax food safety enforcement in China. Testimony presented at a June 2014 hearing of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China highlighted examples of China's weak track record on food safety. The discovery in the summer of 2014 that a Chinese meat processor that supplied products to McDonald's, KFC, and other foreign food establishments in China used unsanitary and expired meat in products provided to the food establishments may have furthered heightened concerns about China's ability to supply safe poultry meat to the United States. Figure I. China: 5th Largest Global Poultry Exporter in 2014 (1,000 metric tons) Source: USDA, Livestock and Poultry: World Markets and Trade Inspection Equivalency FSIS is responsible for inspecting meat and poultry for safety, wholesomeness, and proper labeling under the authority of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA; 21 U.S.C. §620 et seq.) and the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA, 21 U.S.C. §451 et seq.). Under the two acts, FSIS regulates the import of meat and poultry by granting equivalency to foreign countries' meat and poultry slaughter and/or processing systems. Any country that wishes to export meat or poultry to the United States must request that USDA review its inspection system to determine if it is equivalent-i.e., the foreign system (though different) must provide the same level of sanitary protection as the U.S. system. When a foreign country asks to export its meat and poultry to the United States, the foreign government must first provide FSIS information and data on government oversight, statutory authority and food safety regulations, sanitation, hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP), chemical residues, and microbiological testing. If FSIS determines that the documents and data demonstrate a system of equivalent public health protection, FSIS is to conduct onsite slaughter and processing plant audits to observe and verify that a foreign country's inspection system is equivalent. If so, FSIS uses a rulemaking process to grant equivalency, issuing a proposed rule for public comment and, if approved, a final rule. The process of sharing documents, conducting audits, and rulemaking may take several years to complete. China's Request In 2004, in order to be eligible to export poultry to the United States, China requested that USDA determine if its poultry slaughter and processing systems were equivalent. Upon completion of its review, FSIS published in November 2005 a proposed rule that would permit the import of processed (cooked) poultry products from China, as long as the Chinese processed product originated from poultry slaughtered in the United States or in countries already eligible to export to the United States. At this point, FSIS did not grant equivalency to China's poultry slaughter system. FSIS issued the final rule in April 2006, adding China to the list of countries eligible to export processed poultry products to the United States. The final rule addressed concerns about avian influenza in China and China's ability to provide adequate and effective food safety controls. It stated that FSIS had determined that processing procedures in China were adequate to destroy the avian influenza virus, and that USDA had adequate controls to ensure there would be no adverse effect on either U.S. animal health or human health. Annual random FSIS audits of certified Chinese establishments would continue to verify compliance with all requirements. The agency also argued that the final rule would facilitate poultry trade between the two countries in a manner consistent with U.S. international trade obligations. The Appropriations Ban Before any Chinese processed poultry meat was imported, Congress prevented USDA from using appropriated funds www.crs.gov 1 7-5700 Other, 1,501. China, 440 Thailand, 540 EU, 1,100/ Brazil, 3,600 - -U.S., 3,297

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