US Agriculture Department proposes poultry imports from China
(AP)
Updated: 2006-01-28 13:57

The Agriculture Department is seeking to allow shipments of processed poultry from China, where thousands of birds and several people have died from bird flu.

Critics are urging the department to drop the proposal, and the U.S. industry is raising concerns. The United States does not accept poultry imports from countries where the virulent bird flu strain is present.

Sen. Tom Harkin said Friday the U.S. can't afford to take chances. He acknowledged there are safeguards in the plan but said the department has a poor record on inspections.

"We know that USDA's foreign food inspections have had problems in the past, and with so many unanswered questions, it is not wise to allow processed poultry imports from China at this time," said Harkin, the senior Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee.

"I am concerned the administration is neglecting the substantial public health and economic risks to the United States, which USDA itself acknowledges but fails to address."

The industry did not ask for the proposal, National Chicken Council spokesman Richard Lobb said. Chicken companies recently launched tests of every flock in the nation to reassure people that chicken is safe to eat.

"The timing is a mystery to us. We did not seek this rule. We're not objecting to it, but we didn't support it, either," Lobb said.

Under the department's proposal, the U.S. would not accept Chinese chickens. China would have to process poultry slaughtered in the U.S. or other countries from which the U.S. accepts poultry. In addition, the poultry would have to be fully cooked and shelf stable, which basically means it would be canned.

"I'm not defending it, and we are concerned about consumer perceptions, but the fact of the matter is, cooking destroys any virus, so canned food, as long as the canning is done properly, doesn't present any food safety problem," Lobb said.

The Agriculture Department proposed the rule on November 23 with no announcement. The period during which it accepted comments on the proposal ended Monday. The rule still must be completed before it takes effect.

The department acted on a request from China, spokesman Steven Cohen said. The department "takes the issue of food safety extremely seriously," Cohen said.

"We would not have proposed this rule without having the scientific basis to be able to guarantee the safety of the product," he said.

Officials are only now reviewing the comments and have no timeline for completing the rule, he said.