US gives green light for Polish poultry imports

Products from poultry slaughtered and processed in certified Polish establishments are now eligible for export to the United States, announced USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

Polish poultry is ready to enter the US market, as FSIS has reviewed Poland’s poultry laws, regulations, and inspection system, and judged they are equivalent to the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA), and the United States food safety inspection system. Products from poultry slaughtered and processed in certified Polish establishments are now eligible for export to the United States. This includes raw and processed items. All products will be subject to re-inspection at points of entry by FSIS inspectors.

Poland also has to comply with other requirements, including those of USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), on controlling the spread of certain animal diseases.

This year, Poland was hit by a severe bird flu outbreak but new measure to control the spread of the disease has been set for Polish producers and some external markets have already resumed poultry imports from the largest poultry producer within the EU. Another controversial issue, salmonella, remains a concern for importers, as 200 reports have been posted on the European Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) portal concerning Salmonella in poultry from Poland so far this year. However, most of them were reported by Poland as part of official controls.

The FSIS estimated the maximum potential Polish poultry exports to the United States to be between 19,400 to 31,600 tonnes. Currently, 24 plants intend to export poultry to the US market. The United States’ slaughter volume was 20.1 million tonnes in 2020. The volume of trade is likely to be small and is expected to have little or no effect on US poultry supplies or prices, according to FSIS. However, it will give consumers more choice when purchasing poultry.

Euromeat News

Tags: USA, Poland, Poultry