EU poultry meat exports up 2.5 percent in early 2015

Exports of poultry meat by the European Union rose by 2.5 percent between January and April 2015 to stand at 466,387 metric tons. This overall positive figure, however, masks a wide disparity of performance from market to market.
Benin was the main destination for European poultry meat exports over the first four months of this year. At 55,127 metric tons, exports to the country were 9 percent higher when compared to the same period last year, and accounted for 11.8 percent of total European Union poultry meat sales overseas.
Sales to South Africa, however, were close behind at 51,735 metric tons, or 11.1 percent of the total. However, in contract with Benin, sales to South Africa declined by 12 percent.
According to latest figures released by the European Commission, the strongest increase in demand for European poultry meat over the period came from the Philippines. Sales to that country grew by 173 percent to stand at 36,770 tonnes.
Unsurprisingly, the biggest decrease in demand for European poultry meat exports was recorded in the Russian market. At a mere 300 metric tons, Russian imports of European poultry meat were down by 99 percent compared to the same period last year. 

Thailand, EU set processed poultry import quotas

Thailand and the European Union have completed negotiations on the allocation of processed poultry EU import quotas, according to Thailand's Commerce Ministry, setting the overall quota at 30,810 metric tons for six categories of poultry. Thailand will receive a quota of 16,100 metric tons of processed chicken, levied a 10.9 percent duty. The processed duck quota stands at 14,700 metric tons, also at a 10.9 percent tariff. Raw duck received a 10-metric-ton quota. The total quota also includes raw and cooked ready-to-eat products that have chicken or duck as an ingredient, according to the Ministry. Import negotiations took two years. The new system is expected to be implemented by July 1.

Philippines halts German poultry imports

The Philippines agriculture department has put a temporary stop to poultry imports from Germany and the French village of Saint-Aubin-du-Plain, citing the discovery of “[l]ow pathogenic avian influenza” on a duck farm in Saint-Aubin-du-Plain and a bird farm in Thuringen, Germany, in November.
The poultry product ban applies to live birds, meat, chicks, eggs and semen, according to BusinessWorld, based in Manila. The Philippines is one of only three countries in Southeast Asia where avian flu has not taken hold, the publication reports.
In 2008, the Philippines imported nearly 1 million kilograms of poultry and poultry products from France and 112,264 kilograms from Germany, according to the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics.

EU blocks request for WTO ruling on poultry ban

According to reports, the European Union blocked the U.S. request for the World Trade Organization (WTO) to rule on an American poultry ban by Europe.The ban stems from pathogen-reduction treatments used to clean U.S. poultry, which is not allowed in the EU. Imports of U.S. chicken and turkey stopped in April 1997. Should trade resume, U.S. poultry producers stand to gain over $300 million in export sales, according to the National Chicken Council.
The EU was able to block the first request from the U.S. to involve the WTO, but under current dispute rules, will not be able to block a second request usually put forth the following month.

US calls for WTO panel on EU poultry restrictions

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has asked the World Trade Organization (WTO) to establish a dispute panel regarding the EU’s restrictions on imports of US poultry.
The WTO has been asked to review whether the EU’s ban on the import and marketing of poultry meat and poultry meat products processed with pathogen reduction treatments (PRTs) is consistent with the EU’s WTO obligations.
USTR spokeswoman, Nefeterius McPherson, commented: “The US poultry subject to the EU ban is safe. There is no scientific evidence that the use of pathogen reduction treatments poses a health risk to consumers.”
The EU rules state that slaughterhouses can only use water, or other approved substances, to rinse meat products to diminish their bacterial contamination. The rule applies to all meat products sold in the European Community, irrespective of whether they are produced locally or imported.
The US had submitted requests for approval of certain substances used in the US for the cleaning of poultry carcasses, mainly substances based on chlorine, but the EU rejected the approval of these substances in 2008.
European Commission spokesperson for trade, Lutz Gullner, said: “We regret that the United States has decided to ask for a panel to be established in this case. We feel that litigation is not the most appropriate way to deal with complex issues such as this one. However, since the US has chosen this path, we will defend our food safety legislation, which does not discriminate against imported products.”
US poultry companies and organizations have applauded the USTR’s action, arguing the EU has deprived them of a fair opportunity to compete in the European market. They say that, despite the recommendations of the EU’s own scientific committees on the four antimicrobials at issue, the EU has continued to maintain a ban on products treated with them.

Ongoing dispute
In 2008, the EU imported more than 890,000 tons of poultry from third countries, mainly from Brazil and Thailand. The European Commission notes imports of poultry from the US have been marginal since 1997, when several US slaughterhouses were removed from its list of authorized establishments for not being in line with European hygiene requirements.
The USTR’s office points out that, in 1997, the EU began prohibiting the use of PRTs to reduce microbe levels on poultry, stopping the shipment of virtually all US poultry to the EU. Since that time, the US has attempted to address the market access barrier without resorting to litigation.

Groups urge trade rep. to challenge EU's US poultry barrier

Four concerned groups are jointly urging the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to have the World Trade Organization (WTO) determine if a major barrier to U.S. poultry exports to the European Union is a violation of WTO’s rules.
In a September 24 letter to U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, the National Chicken Council, USA Poultry & Egg Export Council, National Turkey Federation and the National Association of Manufacturers reconfirmed their strong support for the office's action that would result in a WTO dispute settlement panel that addresses the EU’s blocking action against four antimicrobials that reduce pathogens during poultry processing.
U.S. poultry exports to the EU have not been permitted since 1997. If the EU was an eligible market for U.S. poultry, it is estimated that annual poultry exports would top $300 million.