Posted on 04/20/2006 5:53:52 PM PDT by dvan
WASHINGTON - Poultry processed in China will be allowed to enter the United States despite outbreaks of deadly bird flu in China, the Bush administration said Thursday.
Critics said the imported poultry will put public health at risk. The Agriculture Department said the meat would be fully cooked and perfectly safe.
"It will have been processed," said Richard Raymond, the department's undersecretary for food safety. "Cooking will kill the virus, if there is any virus, in poultry meat."
The U.S. does not accept live poultry from countries where the virulent flu strain is present. That policy has not changed.
The poultry would be raised and slaughtered in the U.S. or other countries from which the U.S. accepts poultry. It would be fully cooked and packaged or canned in China. Imports will be allowed beginning May 24.
Critics say the U.S. cannot guarantee that Chinese processing facilities will keep Chinese poultry from mixing with U.S. poultry.
"It's not clear to me the two will be effectively kept separate," said Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin (news, bio, voting record), the top Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (news, bio, voting record), D-Conn., said the imports are dangerous.
"It is an outrage that the U.S. is going to open our borders to imports of poultry from China — a country that lacks the fundamental safety functions in its processing plants, has questionable export practices, and a country where a deadly animal disease and possible pandemic is running rampant," said DeLauro, top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee's agriculture subcommittee.
The department acted on a request from China, but Raymond said he does not expect very much of the product to be shipped to the U.S. He noted that chicken prices have been low.
"With the price of chicken, I don't know how you could send it across the ocean twice and make money," Raymond said.
He added that poultry is safe as long as it is properly cooked and basic rules for kitchen safety are followed. The department says cooking poultry to 165 degrees will kill viruses or bacteria.
Chinese President Hu Jintao visited President Bush on Thursday at the White House. In advance of his visit, China made several commitments including an agreement to drop a mad cow disease-related ban on imports of U.S. beef. Raymond said the deal is unrelated to poultry imports and has been in the works since 2004.
He appears to not give a rip about this Country. Foreigners he likes....
Nobody is going to buy Chinese frozen chicken in any big amount anyway.
They can't raise chickens much cheaper, if at all, than we do anyway.
Or, what percent of the US domestic market for apple juice concentrate is supplied from China?
"agreement to drop a mad cow disease-related ban on imports of U.S. beef (to China"
Okay, now I get it. Bush sold out American chicken farmers so he could help his Texas beef-producing friends sell beef in China.
The article says it isn't chicken from china.
"Do you have any idea as to how much processed food is imported from China?"
No, but I'm listening. Tell us more.
Bookmark for later printing.
The real Bush has been kidnapped and the imposter has taken over.....
Nope.
| We are now one of the largest Spanish-speaking nations in the world. We're a major source of Latin music, journalism and culture. Just go to Miami, or San Antonio, Los Angeles, Chicago or West New York, New Jersey ... and close your eyes and listen. You could just as easily be in Santo Domingo or Santiago, or San Miguel de Allende. For years our nation has debated this change -- some have praised it and others have resented it. By nominating me, my party has made a choice to welcome the new America. As I speak, we are celebrating the success of democracy in Mexico. George Bush from a campaign speech in Miami, August 2000. |
Here is an excerpt of a good critique of that speech:
In equating our intimate historic bonds to our mother country and to Canada with our ties to Mexico, W. shows a staggering ignorance of the civilizational facts of life. The reason we are so close to Britain and Canada is that we share with them a common historical culture, language, literature, and legal system, as well as similar standards of behavior, expectations of public officials, and so on. My Bush Epiphany By Lawrence Auster
What ever you do, don't buy those tall jars of asparagus from china.
They may look pretty but you'll have throw away 3/4 of the stalk.
"It would be fully cooked and packaged or canned in China"
Don't worry be happy. After all, why shouldn't 'processed poultry' get the same benefits as Mexican illegals ....I mean Mexican workers?
Are a lot of the processed foods sold at Wal-Mart and places like that from China?
As a matter of safety, I never buy foodstuffs from foreign countries. That includes produce or beer from Mexico or South America and seafood from Thailand. In many countries, food inspectors can be bribed, the water used during processing may be tainted, and sanitary conditions are just not on a par with ours. This has been my practice for at least 15 years or so. And now, with terrorists everywhere, how difficult would it be for someone to taint an entire shipment before it is shipped off to the USA? Chinese chicken? Never in this household!
As mexican workers become short in supply, you will see more and more imported food.
See my #17.
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