(NAFB) — USA Poultry and Egg Export President Jim Sumner tells Agri-Pulse that the first U.S. chicken shipment to China in a long time will enter the Asian country in January. It marks a resumption of those shipments after China lifted a ban on U.S. chicken just over a month ago.
The Chinese ban was initially implemented after an avian influenza outbreak in the United States. While that outbreak was stamped out a long time ago, China finally lifted its ban after the United States approved the importing of Chinese chicken, something Beijing had demanded for a long time.
“The first shipment heading to China is chicken paws from Georgia that will head out from the Port of Savannah,” says Sumner. “We’re thrilled that the first shipment in years is coming from Georgia, the number-one chicken producer in the nation.”
The first shipment is expected to contain about 50,000 pounds of chicken paws and is the start of what should be a quick ramp-up in chicken shipments to China. The U.S. industry got Chinese approval for shipments from 172 facilities, but most of those cold storage units weren’t included. That should be rectified soon as 177 applications came in from cold storage facilities that should be approved any day now.
Source: National Association of Farm Broadcasters