China gives thumbs-up to poultry from Virginia
The import suspension has been in place since August 2007 and relates to an outbreak of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI).
China’s General Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) and Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) rescinded the suspension with effect from 30 April 2014.
According to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Inspection Service, China is currently the third-largest export market for US-origin poultry and poultry products, with exports totalling $503.6 million during 2013.
It said the reinstatement of Virginia as an eligible state for export was expected to further facilitate poultry exports to China.
In related news there have been a number of recent outbreaks of avian influenza in China, the latest being the first occurrence of low pathogenic serotype H5N6 on a farm in Nanchong, Sichuan, as announced by the World Organisation for Animal Health this week.
