CHINA (KFSM) – China banned all poultry imports from the United States on Jan. 8, and the Arkansas Farm Bureau has responded to the incident, according to a news release.
Reuters reported that China banned the poultry imports over fears of avian flu.
“All poultry and poultry related products shipped from the United States after Jan. 8 would be returned or destroyed,” Reuters reported.
In response, the Arkansas Farm Bureau released the following statement:
“We have seen the Chinese government use this type of decision as a trade barrier before, and it’s unfortunate that our poultry industry is now caught in political crossfire. This exposes our state’s poultry industry to market factors that are not market driven. The poultry industry is a key component of Arkansas agriculture, and this decision will take away a large market for our poultry growers.”
The statement continued, “This current situation does not involve Avian Influenza in any commercial poultry operations in the U.S. The food safety standards in the U.S. exceed those in China, and most of the world, and we are very disappointed to see this decision by the Chinese government.”
