MEAT INDUSTRY VIEWS CHINESE IMPORT RULES AS POSITIVE FIRST STEP
China's publication of rules governing American meat imports is a positive step in the right direction, but it does not amount to full implementation of the bilateral agreement on agriculture signed last year, meat industry groups said today.
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA), the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) and the American Meat Institute (AMI) made the comments following notification from the Chinese government that the rules are in place. The groups noted that the rules only are one piece of a larger trade deal that must include congressional approval of permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with China to gain the full benefit of increased exports to that country.