In a development that may further strain U.S.-China agricultural trade relations, China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC) has announced the suspension of poultry meat and sorghum imports from several American companies, citing serious food safety concerns.
Effective April 4, the GAC has revoked the export qualifications of C&D (USA) Inc. for sorghum, while also barring American Proteins, Inc., Mountaire Farms of Delaware, Inc., and Darling Ingredients Inc. from shipping poultry meat and bone meal to China.
According to the agency, inspections revealed excessive levels of zearalenone and mold in U.S. sorghum, and salmonella contamination in poultry-related products. The GAC emphasized that these actions are necessary to safeguard consumer health and protect China’s livestock sector.
In a separate notice, the GAC announced the immediate suspension of poultry meat imports from Mountaire Farms of Delaware, Inc. and Coastal Processing, LLC, after repeated detections of the prohibited veterinary drug furacillin in chicken products.
A GAC spokesperson described the move as a “precautionary measure to minimize food safety risks at the source,” stressing that the decisions are consistent with Chinese food safety laws and international regulatory standards.
“These measures are not only justified but also aligned with global food safety practices,” the official added.
The suspension comes amid ongoing tensions surrounding international trade and food safety compliance, and could lead to further scrutiny of agricultural exports between the two nations.