09.07.2009

Beijing has halted imports of U.S. chicken, although officially China is saying imports are not blocked.
China is a huge market for U.S. chicken feet, commonly called paws, and bought 421,000 tons, or $280 million worth, in 2008.
In China, paws are popular in soups, stews, and as snack items, but very few are sold in the United States.
Without the Chinese market, most of the paws will have to be processed into feed or other non-food uses, which brings less money to U.S. chicken companies.
Chinese importers last week told U.S. chicken companies that Beijing was not issuing import permits for U.S. chicken, effectively blocking the poultry for the rest of 2009.
US blocked imports of Chinese poultry products because of food safety concerns.