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.

China bans meat imports from select US plants

China has banned meat imports from three U.S. pork plants and two poultry plants. Reuters quoted the USDA, reporting that no reasons had been given for this decision.
The pork plants are: Smithfield Foods in Tar Heel, N.C.; the John Morrell & Co. pork plant, Sioux City, Iowa; and the Seaboard Foods pork plant at Guymon, Okla.
The poultry plants are: Equity Group-KY Division poultry plant at Albany, Ky.; and the Mountaire Farms poultry plant at Selbyville, Del.

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.

Broiler companies show profits this year

The average U.S. broiler company returned to profitability in January 2009 and profits strengthened in February and March, said Dana Weatherford, vice president, Agri Stats.
Profits were hard to come by for broiler companies in the second half of 2008, Weatherford reported at USPOULTRY's Processor Workshop in Atlanta. The average company lost nearly $0.05 per pound in the second half of 2008, according to Agri Stats data.
Performance in the first three months of 2009 has seen marked improvement with Weatherford reporting "bottom line profits" for the average broiler company of $0.0078, $0.0148 and $0.0389 per pound in January, February and March 2009, respectively.
Weatherford said that with the reduction in the number of breeder pullets being placed it appeared that the industry's cutback in chick placements would continue below year before levels through 2009.
If broiler meat prices get a seasonal bump this summer, he said he expected broiler firms to remain profitable for the rest of the year.
If grain prices don’t jump up again and if U.S. chicken exports continue at a relatively strong pace, he said that 2010 could be a very good year for U.S. broiler companies.