Chicken from China and Handing Over Inspections To Industry

[Ichingcarpenter]

With the continuing stories of contaminated or mislabeled food coming from China, many people have actively sought to avoid Chinese products. The United States Department of Agriculture (long the enemy of the consumer and friend of agribusiness) has come up with a solution: Chinese chicken imports will be sold without telling people that they are from China. In an apparent effort to bring our standards to Chinese levels, the Administration is also planning to hand over key inspection posts to industry.

The U.S. had been fighting with China for banning our beef in 2003. We banned chicken from China during an avian flu outbreak, but China got a favorable ruling from the World Trade Organization forcing us to open our borders.

We therefore have to allow Chinese chicken to be sold here. However, we seem to have gone even further in allowing China to hide its country-of-origin. Here is how it works. The Chinese chickens are raised in the U.S. and Canada and then “processed” in China. By using this loophole, soup companies, restaurants, and other companies can hide the fact that the chicken comes from one of the most notorious sources of food in the world.

On top of this wonderful news, consumer advocates are objecting to a plan by the Obama Administration to replace USDA inspectors with employees of poultry companies.

http://jonathanturley.org/2013/09/09/playing-chicken-with-consumers-the-u-s-moves-to-allow-chinese-chicken-to-be-sold-without-origin-labels-in-u-s-while-handing-over-inspections-to-industry/

[davidpdx]

1. It surprises me a bit that they would ship the chickens back to China and then return them to the US

for sale. I've heard China is lacking the ability to raise enough chickens for consumption within the country. Many of the farmers have given up and moved to the city to try to find work.

I do think it is a problem if they reimport the chickens in any form with out a COO label. At the very least that should be enforced.

[Berlum]

2. Industrial Ag, Inc. & USDA Cronies casting more dark shadows over our dinner tables, Global Style

Factor in that lots of livestock is being fed on the skanky dregs of GMO-mutant crops after they the crops are processed for Biofuels, and you have a gut wreck rolling down the gullet.

[Ichingcarpenter]

3. US has approved China buying US Smithfield World largest Pork producer

The U.S. government on Friday approved Shuanghui International Holding’s bid to buy iconic U.S. pork producer Smithfield Foods in what would be the biggest Chinese takeover of a U.S. company to date.
The merger joins Smithfield, the world’s largest pork company, with China’s biggest pork producer, in a deal valued at about $7.1 billion, including debt


The companies said in a joint statement they had received permission from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to complete the transaction, which was struck in May.

The deal gives Shuanghui a premium U.S. food brand at time when a series of food scares have rocked Chinese consumer confidence in domestic food products.

Smithfield shareholders are scheduled to vote on the deal on Sept. 24 and the companies said they expect the transaction to close shortly thereafter. Smithfield shareholders will receive $34 for each share of common stock they own under the deal.


Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/us-china-smithfield-96399.html#ixzz2eTgOyJSx



Smithfield has a bad environmental,safety and labor record so one needs to wonder how this will play out with the chinese running things and their record of environment, safety and labor record

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smithfield_Foods


Bird flu? Swine flu?......... no worries.

[Berlum]

4. "Squeal" - Factory Farm Porkers Raise a Big Stink (Global Style)

Massive globs of the 'chow' fed to industrial livestock is from the GMO mutant waste of the Biofuels industry.

[Berlum]

5. The GMO mutant residue flow to livestock thence onward to your dinner table

[Le Taz Hot]

6. One more reason to buy local, organic,

free-range chickens. Yes, they're more expensive but at least you have peace of mind that they're not living their lives in pens and not being fed Frankencorn as well as exposure to a myriad of diseases. I've got no problem paying $20.00 for a chicken as I know how to make that $20.00 chicken last for a good 12-15 meals.