“The US chicken industry applauds the announcement by US Trade Representative Michael Froman that USTR will request that the World Trade Organization take action against China for its failure to eliminate its anti-dumping and countervailing duties on US chicken exports,” said the Washington, DC-based National Chicken Council (NCC) and the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) in a joint statement issued on May 10.
As one of the main export destinations for frozen chicken paws and wingtips, China is an important market for American poultry producers. The sale of these products added considerable value to the US broiler industry in the past, and the duties imposed by China have unfairly hindered access to this important market, according to the NCC and USAPEEC.
In 2013, a WTO dispute settlement panel comprehensively found that China’s anti-dumping and countervailing duties violated its WTO obligations. Despite that decision, China has still refused to remove these duties. The US government has tried to work with China since then to resolve this matter consistent with the panel’s decision, but China’s continued failure to abide by the ruling and to meet its obligations is unacceptable, according to the NCC and USAPEEC.
“We are heartened to see that USTR will not back down when it comes to enforcing our rights, and in making sure we truly get the market access we bargained for,” the poultry groups concluded.
