China agrees to reopen its market to U.S. pork

In a move that should provide some relief to the ailing American hog industry, or at least some encouragement, China agreed today to allow imports of U.S. pork and live swine. The ban was "imposed last spring on concerns over the H1N1 virus," Tom Johnston reports for Meatingplace. "Last year, China was the U.S. pork industry's fastest growing market," but still took only about 1 percent of American production, Johnston notes.

Meanwhile, Johnston reports, "The U.S. Agriculture Department will soon begin a review of China's food safety laws and poultry plants with an eye to allowing imports of Chinese poultry products, [Agriculture Secretary Tom] Vilsack told Reuters on Thursday. The poultry issue has been another trade conflict between the two countries." The deal was announced in China, at the annual meeting of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade. Here's the USDA release.