New antitrust rules set to be released this spring

Meat companies and producers are awaiting the release of new federal antitrust rules to be enacted by summer, a schedule set forth in the 2008 Farm Bill, according to the Associated Press.

The new rules are being developed by the Packers and Stockyards Administration, a wing of the U.S. State Department that was established in 1921 over concerns about possible monopolies in the meat industry.
Analysts expect the rules to be stricter than current regulations by, for example, limiting the ability of poultry processors to require producers to make improvements to their chicken houses. The rules could also restrict meat processors in choosing between independent and contract producers when purchasing cattle or hogs.

China denies import blocks of EU pig meat

China has denied restrictions on pork imports from the European Union, Beijing’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported on September 23.
EU health and food safety commissioner Androulla Vassiliou said yesterday that China recently started imposing curbs on EU pork imports, as Denmark, France, Italy and Spain were asked to prove the safety of their live pigs.
China still allows pork imports from these countries, but only asks for additional inspection out of H1N1 fears, according to Yu Taiwei, minister of China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.
China imported 932,000 tons of pork last year, or 50.6% of total meat import volumes, says China’s Ministry of Commerce. Currently, China only imports pig meat from five countries, four of which are in the EU.