American turkey returns to China after six-year ban

After a six-year hiatus , whole American turkeys are back on the Chinese menu. During November, promotions were in full swing in CHINA, organized by the US Trade Agents (ATO) of the US Department of Agriculture. ATO and their partners in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenyang and Wuhan brought American turkeys (provided by the US Poultry and Egg EXPORT Board) to the attention of Chinese consumers with recipe ideas and Thanksgiving dinner traditions.

American turkeys were not available in China due to a supply ban due to the December 2014 avian flu outbreak, according to the USDA FAS. Since then, China has gradually reopened the market to U.S. poultry producers starting in November 2019 and continuing until 2020, when the United States and China entered into a phase one U.S.-China trade and economic agreement.

Although the agreement stated that US poultry farmers could export more than $1 billion worth of poultry and poultry products to China annually, that limit has yet to be reached.

Broiler exports to Mexico, Cuba, the Philippines and Guatemala reached record levels in both volume and value during the period January to October this year, according to data released by the US Poultry and Egg Export Council (USAPEEC), while exports to China during this period set a record for the highest value year on year. The value of turkey exports from the United States increased by 12.6% in ten months compared to the same period last year. The value of turkey exports to Haiti, El Salvador and Honduras has reached record levels. Total exports of eggs (table eggs plus egg-equivalent egg products) increased by 18.5% in the first ten months of this year to 289.1 million dozen. The value of these exports rose by 42.2% to $262.3 million.