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All
this bonhomie conceals clashing interests,
sheer greed and that determination to be
top dog that underpins these trade talks.
And while the take-away make-nice headline
news is that of easing compromise, much
of this is disingenuous.
This
time the official press release was headlined
"Four mainland establishments authorised
to export processed poultry to the US."
All seems like smooth sailing until one
gets into to how and under what conditions
will the mainland establishments be able
to export to the US.
First,
there are only four establishments listed
on the US Department of Agriculture's Food
Safety and Inspection Service on November
5 posted a notice to its website.
This
shows that four establishments in mainland
China have been listed as eligible to export
processed (heat treated/cooked) poultry
products to the United States, provided
they are produced from poultry slaughtered
under Food Safety and Inspection Service
(FSIS) inspection in the United States
or in a country eligible to export slaughtered
poultry to the United States.
The
list released by Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS) includes the
name of the facility and the date listed
as eligible. It should be noted that mainland
China is still not eligible to export to
the US poultry products that were slaughtered
in its own establishments.
"All
poultry products imported from mainland
China will be subject to re-inspection at
the pertinent port of entry for transportation
damage, labelling, proper certification,
general condition, accurate count, defects
and microbiological contamination.
"Before
a poultry shipment may be presented for
re-inspection it must meet all other applicable
import requirements, including any restrictions
established by the APHIS and US Customs.
"FSIS
has said that the following measures will
be taken to ensure that mainland China maintains
equivalence with US standards: (1) mainland
China must use a specific and standardised
method to provide the US with detailed information
on all aspects of its food safety systems,
(2) chicken products processed in mainland
China are subject to increased inspection
upon entry into the US, (3) FSIS will audit
mainland China's poultry processing system
annually, and (4) if FSIS finds mainland
China to be exporting product that does
not meet US food safety standards, mainland
China will no longer be eligible to export
such products to the US."
What
are odds that a Buffalo Wing can run through
that slalom of bureaucratic rules and regulations
and come out with a profit at the end of
it. It doesn't leave must room for "re-imagining"
trade relations between the two biggest
markets on the planet.
And
when one considers the like-minded, not
to say mean-spirited obstacles placed in
the path of exports from all other sectors,
it𠏋 a wonder than any trade is done at
all.
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