China welcomes US confirmation of poultry products inspection equivalence

BEIJING -- China welcomes the US government's move to confirm the equivalence of poultry products inspection systems between the two countries, the General Administration of Customs said Saturday.

The United States released its final rule on the imports of poultry and poultry products from China in the Federal Register Friday, saying that China's poultry inspection system is equivalent to that of the United States for poultry and poultry products.

A notice on the final rule posted at the website of Federal Register contains a summary that reads the "Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is amending the Federal poultry products inspection regulations to add the People's Republic of China (PRC) as eligible to export to the United States poultry products from birds slaughtered in the PRC."

It made China eligible to engage in such poultry trade with the United States, following clearances for Canada, Mexico and Chile, said a GAC spokesperson.

The confirmation by the US authority will have positive effects on China's export of poultry products to the United States, said the spokesperson.

Previously, China's inspection system for poultry products from birds slaughtered passed the document review and on-site audits of the US Department of Agriculture.