Expanded market opportunities for US and re-opening foreign markets to US poultry and poultry products are just some of the successes the US has garnered in efforts to eliminate sanitary and phytosanitary barriers to trade.
In a report to the US Congress, US Trade Representative Ron Kirk outlined advances the US has made toward removing barriers to American food and agricultural products. For example, the United Arab Emirates re-opened its markets to US beef and beef products after denying entry to those items on fears of bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
Also, China, Egypt, Ghana, Kuwait and Taiwan lifted import restrictions on US poultry and products in 2011. China lifted a ban on poultry and poultry products from Pennsylvania and Texas. Ghana eliminated its requirement that US poultry producers test their products for polychlorinated biphenyl and dioxin. Kuwait lifted an avian influenza-related ban on live fowl, hatching eggs and one-day old chicks from Missouri and Minnesota in 2011. In 2012, Kuwait lifted another AI-related ban on frozen and chilled poultry imports.
Finally, Taiwan lifted it AI-related ban, and reached an agreement with the US specifying the conditions under which Taiwan can temporarily suspend US poultry imports in response to outbreaks.
