Following HPAI Outbreak, Tillis Joins Effort to End Discrimination on U.S. Turkey Exports | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    WASHINGTON, D.C.     Following the outbreak of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) joined Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Roy Blunt (R-MO), John Boozman (R-AR), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Al Franken (D-MN), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), and John Thune (R-SD) on a bipartisan letter addressed to United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack asking for increased efforts to end discrimination against American turkey exports by addressing unscientific import requirements imposed by two U.S. trading partners. North Carolina is ranked #2 nationally in total turkey production.

    The Senators wrote in part, "As a result of last year's outbreak, certain countries are requiring that all poultry exported from the U.S. be hatched and raised in this country. The most significant markets in question are South Africa and the Republic of Korea. As currently included in import requirements for both countries, the phrase 'must be hatched and raised in the United States' is causing significant disruption to trade even though there is no scientific evidence for its existence and sets a negative precedent for future trade negotiations with other nations.

    They continued, "The impact of the 2015/2016 HPAI outbreak has left long-lasting, undesirable consequences for the poultry industry, and the 'hatched and raised' requirement is one that needs attention. This new restriction appears to represent a non-scientific trade barrier that limits the turkey industry's ability to export abroad."

    The full text of the letter is below.

  • The Honorable Thomas J. Vilsack
  • Secretary of Agriculture
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture
  • 1400 Independence Avenue SW
  • Washington, D.C. 20250
  • Dear Secretary Vilsack,
  • We would like to express continued gratitude for your diligence in working to eliminate Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in domestic poultry in 2015 and again this year. We are pleased with the improvements USDA implemented, in collaboration with the poultry industry, in the area of disease prevention and overall response since the first positive test last year. However there are still some issues that must be addressed, and we would like to highlight one in particular.
  • As a result of last year's outbreak, certain countries are requiring that all poultry exported from the U.S. be hatched and raised in this country. The most significant markets in question are South Africa and the Republic of Korea. As currently included in import requirements for both countries, the phrase "must be hatched and raised in the United States" is causing significant disruption to trade even though there is no scientific evidence for its existence and sets a negative precedent for future trade negotiations with other nations.
  • Notably, these markets are not extending this requirement to all countries that were affected by HPAI, and there does not appear to be justification for this differentiation. For example, meat from a poult hatched in the U.S. and then raised and processed in Canada can still be exported to both of these markets, but meat from a poult born in Canada and raised in the U.S. is not eligible for export to the same markets. It is important to note that the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) is already recognized as the gold standard around the world for ensuring that no products from diseased poultry enter the marketplace. As a result, customers both in the U.S. and abroad can be confident they are purchasing poultry products from birds free of disease.
  • We appreciate the work the Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS) and the Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) have done in creating an Export Verification (EV) program which allows companies to trace back and validate that poults are hatched and raised in the U.S. so that they are eligible for export to those markets. While this program is helping to re-open the Republic of Korea and South Africa markets to some U.S. turkey exports, we believe this is a short-term solution. The impact of the 2015/2016 HPAI outbreak has left long-lasting, undesirable consequences for the poultry industry, and the "hatched and raised" requirement is one that needs attention. This new restriction appears to represent a non-scientific trade barrier that limits the turkey industry's ability to export abroad. Right now, just two important markets are affected, but we are concerned that this language could be requested by additional countries in the future.
  • We look forward to hearing from you about this important matter. We specifically ask that you provide an assessment of the effectiveness of the EV program and the Department's perspective on its use in future trade negotiations. Additionally, we ask that you consider raising the problematic "hatched and raised" language in future bilateral discussions with the Republic of Korea and South Africa.
  • Sincerely,
  • Senator Thom Tillis
  • Senator Joni Ernst
  • Senator Amy Klobuchar
  • Senator Roy Blunt
  • Senator John Boozman
  • Senator Joe Donnelly
  • Senator Al Franken
  • Senator Heidi Heitkamp
  • Senator John Thune

  • Contact: Daniel Keylin
  •     daniel_keylin@tillis.senate.gov

Go Back


Leave a Guest Comment

Your Name or Alias
Your Email Address ( your email address will not be published)
Enter Your Comment ( no code or urls allowed, text only please )




McCrory Campaign Releases Second TV Ad Press Releases: Elected office holders, Op-Ed & Politics, Bloodless Warfare: Politics Governor McCrory: Roy Cooper Should Refuse His Taxpayer-Funded Salary


HbAD0

Latest Bloodless Warfare: Politics

Glenn Beck: 'When the United States government can come after individuals, that's when you know our republic is crumbling.'
Washington, D.C. — Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. issued the following statement on the latest continuing resolution:
WASHINGTON – Today, as Joe Biden continues his Bankrupting America Tour in North Carolina, Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel released the following statement:
Former President Donald Trump dominated the North Dakota Republican Caucus on Monday as he continues to inch closer to officially securing the party’s presidential nomination.
RALEIGH: Today, Governor Cooper visited a bus facility in Durham to highlight the recent significant federal funding for electric school buses in North Carolina.
The White House unveiled a new term on Thursday for the millions of illegal aliens who have flooded into the U.S. under President Joe Biden, which came just shortly before Biden took a trip to the border for a photo op at a spot that has had few illegal aliens cross.
Washington, D.C. — Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. issued the following statement after voting in favor of S.J. Res. 38, to overturn the Federal Highway Administration’s rule relating to ‘Waiver of Buy America Requirements for Electric Vehicle Chargers.’
House Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green (R-TN) announced this week that he is reversing his decision to retire after receiving calls from former President Donald Trump and others.
Former President Donald Trump slammed President Joe Biden on Saturday after Biden apologized for calling the illegal alien who allegedly murdered a young woman in Georgia an “illegal” during his recent State of the Union speech.

HbAD1

RALEIGH: Lynddahl Telecom America Inc. (LTA), a duct solutions company for fiber optics installations, will create 54 new jobs in Gaston County, Governor Cooper announced today.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said this week that the media and Democrat politicians are doing everything they can to hide the fact that the man who is accused of murdering a Georgia college student last week is an illegal alien
Illegal immigrants 'effectively left in legal limbo without any way to pursue asylum,' says non-partisan data analytics group
Former President Donald Trump called on 81-year-old President Joe Biden to take a cognitive exam Thursday morning, just hours after the commander-in-chief’s doctor said he was “fit to serve” following his annual physical exam.
RALEIGH: Today, Governor Cooper joined Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure to highlight the positive impacts of Medicaid expansion in North Carolina and record Affordable Care Act enrollment numbers.
Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) tore into President Joe Biden during an interview over the weekend for creating the catastrophe on the U.S. southern border.
Speaking at the White House on Wednesday on his “actions to fight crime and make our communities safer,” President Joe Biden boasted, “we beat the NRA,” adding, “We’re going to finish the job.”

HbAD2

 
Back to Top