USDA

Shipments of U.S. produce into the Chinese market are being delayed by Chinese customs officials who are randomly conducting tests to determine if any contain the novel coronavirus, according to U.S. produce groups.

Rubio, Scott say the move to allow imports of five types of fruit -- called for in the phase-one U.S.-China trade deal -- “has unnecessarily occurred amidst severely adverse conditions for Florida’s citrus growers and must be immediately reconsidered.”

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the Agriculture Department this week again extolled Beijing’s ending of non-tariff barriers to agricultural goods under the terms of a phase-one trade deal with the U.S.

Meanwhile, a prominent China analyst is questioning how the U.S. and China determined the baseline for Beijing’s purchasing commitments.

The Agriculture Department is considering new rules for labeling meat that would not run afoul of the World Trade Organization, which struck down a previous country-of-origin labeling law, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said on Wednesday.

The top USDA trade official put the odds of a deal at “better than 50 percent.”

China’s move follows a USDA decision to permit imports of poultry products from birds slaughtered in China.

“Mexico agreed to allow full potato access for avocado access. Unfortunately, Mexico has failed to honor its obligation.”