U.S., China to work on phytosanitary differences

U.S., China to work on phytosanitary differences    The heads of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine entered a bilateral cooperation to reconcile differences on animal and plant health and food safety.
   “This memorandum of understanding will create a structure to enable us to address sanitary, phytosanitary and food safety issues before they become barriers to the thriving agricultural trade between our two countries,” said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns in a statement on April 11.
   Under the MOU, the United States and China will exchange information on food regulations and standards, inspection and quarantine procedures, and other issues such as pests and disease, harmful residues and food certification.
   The MOU was signed as part of the 17th meeting of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade, which met in Washington this week.
   According to the USDA, U.S. farmers sold more than $6 billion in agricultural products to China in 2005, making it the country’s 5th largest export market for these goods.