Details of the Phase One trade deal between the United States and China were revealed after the signing Wednesday in Washington.
They fit within the context of a Chinese promise to buy more agricultural products from the U.S.
BEEF
· Remove age restrictions for U.S. beef and beef products upon completing a risk assessment;
· Expand the allowable product scope for U.S. beef and processed beef products to more closely align with those products that the United States allows for domestic consumption and export;
· Recognize the U.S. beef and beef products’ traceability system that the United States already has in place, which exceeds World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) guidelines for bovine spongiform encephalopathy; and
· Adopt internationally-accepted maximum residue levels for three widely used veterinary drugs (zeranol, trenbolone acetate, and melangesterol acetate).
PORK
· Expand the allowable product scope for U.S. pork and pork products, including bungs and intestines and processed products.
POULTRY
· Finalize a protocol for the regionalization of poultry diseases, thereby ensuring that future trade disruptions will be minimized and solely based on internationally-accepted practices;
· Fully lift the ban on other poultry commodities, including live birds; and Abide by OIE standards for international trade of poultry products.
ALL MEAT, PORK AND POULTRY
· Address the backlog of facilities awaiting approval and accelerate the process for future applicants by publishing within 20 business days of receipt the updated list of USDA-approved facilities;
· Permit, consistent with USDA directives, the use of replacement certificates;
· Begin utilizing USDA’s Public Health Information System to facilitate the use of electronic transmission of export health certificates, greatly reducing the workload for exporters and regulators; and
· Conduct as soon as possible a risk assessment for ractopamine in cattle and swine, consistent with Codex Alimentarius Commission and FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) risk assessment guidance based on a previously conducted JECFA risk assessment.
LIVE BREEDING CATTLE
· Negotiate a protocol governing the export of U.S. live breeding cattle to China.
