Thursday, January 16, 2020

Details of U.S.-China trade deal revealed

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.