China, US conflict over chicken

The U.S. and China are at odds over chicken after Beijing responded to an American ban on Chinese chicken that denys Chinese traders import permits for U.S. chicken, thereby effectively blocking poultry trade for the rest of 2009, according to a Reuters report.
The U.S. embargo on the import of Chinese poultry was imposed owing to food safety concerns. The measure, known as DeLauro amendment, was advocated by Representative Rosa DeLauro, the Democratic head of a House of Representatives appropriations subcommittee that oversees the U.S. Agriculture Department and Food and Drug Administration.
In response to the ban, China has halted imports of U.S. chicken, about half of which are chicken feet widely used in the preparation of soups, stews and as snack items.