US ban of Chinese poultry violates rules, says WTO

A preliminary report from the World Trade Organization (WTO) says the U.S. has violated WTO rules in banning Chinese poultry imports, according to a Xinhua News Agency report sourced in China Daily. The move goes against the WTO’s Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, or the SPS Agreement, which governs food safety, and breaches most-favored-nation rules in singling out China.
The U.S. ban resulted from a provision in the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009. China protested the ban to the WTO in April 2009. A majority of the WTO experts examining the issue favored China, according to reports, but the U.S. can appeal the decision.