H1N1 and Trade

Since the H1N1 influenza outbreak was discovered, the Office of the United States Trade Representative has worked closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to understand H1N1 concerns and to share the facts with America’s trading partners.

The World Health Organization (WHO), the World Animal Health Organization (OIE), the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the CDC have been clear - pork is safe to eat. Dr. Peter Embarak of the WHO said that this is not a food-borne disease. There is no reason to be afraid of consuming properly cooked pork products.

Sixteen countries have officially notified the U.S. of bans on swine and pork products: Russia, China, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Malaysia, South Korea, St. Lucia, Thailand, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

These bans are causing real losses for American producers. Economists at the University of Missouri say that based on market conditions in the first few days since the virus was identified, the U.S. pork industry may face losses of about $270 million in income in this quarter alone.

Ambassador Kirk has been working to urge U.S. trading partners to remove these restrictions on American swine and pork products as soon as possible.

On April 28, Ambassador Kirk joined Secretary Vilsack, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Secretary Napolitano, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, at a joint press conference urging trading partners to remove their restrictions while explaining that properly handled and cooked U.S. pork is safe.

On April 29, Ambassador Kirk and Secretary Vilsack announced that while the United States continues to closely monitor for the new H1N1 human influenza cases, the American food supply is safe.

On April 29, Ambassador Kirk called Russian Minister of Trade and Development Elvira Nabiullina Nabiullina to introduce himself; during the call he raised U.S. concerns with Russian bans on U.S. pork, beef and poultry products from several U.S. states. He will continue this discussion during his visit to Russia on June 3.

On April 30, Ambassador Kirk called Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. to express gratitude for Japan’s provision of consumer education materials to the general public about the safety of pork, and for Japan’s decision not to impose restrictions on U.S. pork and pork products.

On May 4, Ambassador Kirk called Chinese Minister Chen Deming and voiced concerns over the imposition of bans on US live swine and pork products from 30 states in the U.S., and urged China to comply with its WTO obligations.

On May 7, Ambassador Kirk, Canadian Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia Pacific Gateway Stockwell Day, and Mexican Secretary of the Economy Gerardo Ruiz Mateos issued a joint statement calling for an end to unscientific bans on pork imports from their respective countries due to the fears of the H1N1 flu virus, noting the large and negative economic impact of such bans. Ambassador Kirk continues to urge our trading partners to follow their international obligations and remove their bans immediately.

During the week of May 25, Ambassador Kirk met twice with Secretary Vilsack to discuss the ongoing bans.

Ambassador Kirk continues to urge our trading partners to follow their international obligations and remove their bans immediately.