Chinese Chickens

[Mike]

(RNN) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture granted approval for China, a country with a questionable food safety record, to process poultry that will be imported for consumption in America.

The New York Times reported a limited amount of poultry will be slaughtered in the U.S. and Canada, shipped overseas to four approved plants and shipped back stateside.

Because USDA rules do not require labels for food that has been cooked, consumers will not know if their poultry has been processed domestically or abroad.

"China's 'national condition' has already seemingly had a harmful effect on its poultry - and on U.S. consumers unlucky enough to have bought it for their pets," Bloomberg writer Adam Minter said.

Minter's reference was to a Food and Drug Administration investigation that linked Chinese meat in jerky treats as the cause of death for hundreds of pets and the illness of thousands more.

There are common occurrences of avian influenza (bird flu) in the country, and 20,000 birds from a popular market were killed in June after a virus strain discovered in Shanghai killed six people.

A three-month investigation by Chinese state security that ended earlier this year led to the arrest of more than 900 people for using meat from rats, foxes and mink and selling it off as lamb in food markets.

This decision by the USDA follows a contentious proposal to sell Smithfield Foods to a major Chinese food processor.

The meat trade between the two countries has been contentious since 2003. China banned imports of U.S. beef for concerns of mad cow disease, and Congress followed that by blocking the import of Chinese poultry.

 

[Faster horses]

As the world turns... :roll: :roll: :roll:

Glad we aren't in the habit of eating much chicken. :?

 

[hopalong]

What chicken we eat comes form my flock

 

[Faster horses]

Maybe now the beef industry won't be so threatened by chicken as a protein source. I'm going to pass Mikes post along to everyone on my contact list.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm not a fan of any food being imported without a Country of Origin Label- or even importing chicken from China that was originally raised in the US or Canada...

But some market analysts are touting this as a possible big plus for the beef/cattle industry and believe this will open up the exporting of beef to China- which they believe could be a huge market... :???:

My neighbors bumper stickers: Support Beef- Run Over a Chicken!

 

[Faster horses]

How about the one showing a cow and a chicken with the chicken pecking in the cow poop?
The line at the bottom reads, "what'll you have? Chicken or beef?" :shock:

 

[Anonymous]

..

U.S. clears Smithfield's acquisition by China's Shuanghui

ReutersReuters – 9/06/13



(Reuters) - The U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment has cleared the way for Shuanghui International Holdings Ltd's proposed $4.7 billion acquisition of Smithfield Foods Inc, the companies said on Friday.

The deal, which would be the biggest purchase of a U.S. company by a Chinese firm, still needs shareholder approval at a special meeting scheduled for September 24.

Shuanghui and Smithfield expect the transaction, valued at $7.1 billion including debt, to close shortly after that meeting.

Experts in Washington and on Wall Street had expected the deal to get the nod from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), an inter-agency executive branch panel that examines foreign investment for potential threats to national security.

They also do not expect a move by a major investor to block the deal.

Activist hedge fund Starboard Value LP, which has a 5.7 percent stake in Smithfield, is searching for an alternative buyer for Smithfield and has said it would vote against the merger.

Shuanghui's bid, which aims to satisfy China's growing appetite for pork, stirred concern about food safety and domestic pork supplies among some U.S. politicians and faced review by a committee of several government agencies overseen by the Treasury Department.

As international interest in American companies has risen dramatically in recent years, CFIUS reviews have increased in number. Since 2007, CFIUS reviews of deals involving Chinese firms have tripled. Reviews of Japanese firms have increased sevenfold.

Although Congress cannot approve or block deals, lawmakers can force companies to abandon their merger plans. They did so in 2005 when China's CNOOC Ltd made an unsuccessful bid to buy U.S.-based Unocal for $18 billion.

Some experts compared the Shuanghui-Smithfield combination, which would marry two of the world's largest pork producers, to the 2012 takeover of AMC Theaters by China's Dalian Wanda Group for $2.6 billion. That transaction was allowed to proceed when the CFIUS determined the deal posed no threat to national security.

Shares in Smithfield rose 1.7 percent to $34.49 in extended trading.

China's apparently wanting more US pork too...

 

[Mike]

There is no sovereignty nor statesmanship in the executive branch of U.S. Gov't. That went out the window in January of 2008.

Pretty much evident by reading this thread alone................. :roll:

 

[Mike]

There is no sovereignty nor statesmanship in the executive branch of U.S. Gov't. That went out the window in January of 2008.

Pretty much evident by reading this thread alone................. :roll:

The chicken and pork deal were never in question in this administration. Slam dunk, both of them.

 

[Anonymous]

The more pork and chicken that go to China- means the less to compete with beef here...
But I agree with the analysts that think the beef trade with China will break wide open very soon....
They have millions of people there that are achieving the economical ability where they can afford beef- and are just now discovering it...And as they do, demand will increase...

WASHINGTON, D.C – In its latest edition, THE RIPON FORUM looks at "The Promise of the Pacific Rim" and the broader region of the Asia-Pacific, a region where 40% of the world's population lives, 60% of the world's GDP is produced, and where the world's two leading economic powers are playing increasingly pivotal roles.

"The relationship between the United States and China is the central and most profound relationship of our age," writes the Rt Hon Mike Moore in the lead essay of the FORUM. "It will impact everyone, everywhere … And those who claim to fear China's growth should think about the harm to our economies and our region of a slow growth, fractured and fractious China."

http://www.riponsociety.org/news_9-4-13.htm

 

[Mike]

I am not greedy enough to condone the sending of chicken and pork to China just to be returned here processed & unlabeled for a few cents per lb. more for beef. :roll: That's right, throw away your praise for "Country Of Origin" labeling.

I could make more money if a few simple things like the Keystone Pipeline completion, open drilling up to public lands, etc. which could decrease my input costs.

Anything to justify the mistake made in the 2008 & 2012 presidential election...........You really are a work of art. :roll:

 

[Anonymous]

I agree any food imported or circulated thru any foreign government should be marked with country of origin... The reason we need to work to make the M-COOL law stronger and cover all food- even processed....

My understanding is that Shuanghui's acquisition of Smithfield is for purchasing US hogs to slaughter and market in the US and for export to China... And that they have no plans to import Chinese pork...

Smithfield won't import Chinese pork


July 10th, 2013
Pork from China won't make its way into the U.S. if Smithfield Foods is acquired by China's Shuanghui International, Smithfield CEO Larry Pope told lawmakers Wednesday.

Shuanghui's planned purchase "will not result in any U.S. imports of food from China," Pope said in prepared remarks to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. "This is about exporting meat products from the U.S. to China."

Australian beef exports to China head for record high


By Colin Packham

CANBERRA, March 5 | Tue Mar 5, 2013 3:03am EST

(Reuters) - Australian beef sales to China are set to surge more than eightfold this year, providing a boost for farmers in the world's third-biggest exporter struggling with tougher U.S. competition in traditional markets such as Japan.

Chinese demand for beef is growing as the diet of wealthier consumers changes to include more protein. But production has lagged domestically, where pork tends to be more profitable, boosting the outlook for overseas beef suppliers such as Australian Agricultural Company Ltd and Nippon Meat Packers' Australian unit.

And its also my understanding that the poultry issue was one of the big hang-ups with China on Ag trade and that now that that's been worked out they may be much more open to US beef... Anyway several analysts are optimistic...

And even if our beef doesn't make it to China for a year or two- the raising demand China makes of our competitor countries ( Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Canada, etc.) should help beef prices to remain higher...

With big U.S. pork buy, China now asks: 'Where's the beef?'

Dominique Patton and Niu Shuping, Reuters | Updated: 06/06/2013


With more money in their pockets, millions of Chinese are seeking a richer diet and switching to beef, driving imports to record levels and sending local meat firms abroad to scout for potential acquisition targets among beef farmers and processors.

The need to feed the world's most populous nation has seen Chinese firms gobble up foreign dairy, sugar and cereal producers, and Shuanghui International's $4.7 billion bid last week for top U.S. pork producer Smithfield Foods is just the country's latest food 'land grab'.

Beef could be next on the menu as Chinese opt for the protein-rich meat, which is seen as a higher quality product than pork, the nation's staple. While pork and poultry remain China's meats of choice, beef consumption is growing rapidly as hot-pot restaurants, Korean barbecue joints and burger bars set up across the country.

Chinese consumers are also more wary about cheaper local meat products after a series of recent food safety scandals - from bird flu to rotting pig carcasses in Chinese rivers. This has tightened beef supplies and pushed up local prices by almost a third last year. Prices in February hit a record 51 yuan ($8.31) per kg.

All of which is making imports more affordable - good news for major beef producers such as Australia and New Zealand - and encouraging Chinese firms to look overseas to secure future supplies.

"There are many companies closely following this market and looking for the right time to come in. One of the major reasons is food safety," said a consultant who advises Chinese agribusinesses.

One state-owned agribusiness firm is in talks with a foreign beef supplier and eyeing future overseas production, he said, asking not to be named because the information is commercially sensitive. "They want to start importing beef as a first step. If they see an opportunity, they could build a processing facility or make an acquisition in the United States or Australia," he added.
--------------------------------
The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts China's beef cow stocks will slip below 2011 levels this year to 46.3 million head - that's around one beast for every 28 people, compared with a ratio of 1:11 in the United States. Beef production has been steady at 5.5-5.6 million tonnes in recent years.

China currently only allows beef imports from Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Uruguay and Costa Rica, but recently added four Canadian firms to its list of approved exporters. It has also signed a framework deal with India to import buffalo meat.

The United States, the world's fourth-largest beef exporter, hopes a recent downgrade of its mad cow disease risk status by the UN World Organization for Animal Health will boost its chances of gaining a foothold in the growing Chinese market. Significant quantities of U.S. beef are already smuggled into China through Hong Kong, and the industry is pushing for new talks on formal approval when U.S. President Barack Obama meets President Xi Jinping in California later this week.

"If China opens its market to U.S. and Indian beef, the growth rate (in imports) will exceed double-digits," said Rabobank analyst Pan Chenjun.



Full article: http://www.cattlenetwork.com/cattle-news/With-big-US-pork-buy-China-now-asks-Wheres-the-beef-210400441.html?view=all

 

[Whitewing]

Having lived in both Mexico and Venezuela, I can assure you folks you want nothing to do with chicken "imported" from China, regardless of where it was raised.

While I suspect China ranks higher than both Mexico and Venezuela in any number of areas related to sanitation, I still wouldn't want to eat anything processed there.

In S. Louisiana we eat a lot of crawfish. When La-produced crawfish tails were selling for $8/pound, imported Chinese crawfish tails sold at half that and I still wouldn't buy the product. I recall reading the Chinese critters were often raised on "night soil". Look it up. Don't know if it's true or not, but I just couldn't bring myself to eat the stuff.

 

[Anonymous]

One of the trade hangups China has been having with US beef has been that they don't want Mexican born cattle even if it was fattened and slaughtered in the U.S. ...