Chicken From China On Your Table Soon

The U.S. Congress tore down a barrier to imports of chicken from China last week. President Obama signed an appropriations bill on Wednesday that clears the way for the imports by allowing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conduct in China the safety inspections U.S. law requires for any country exporting food to America. The congressional move in 2007 to block funding for those regulatory steps amounted to an import ban. Now USDA will go through its normal regulatory process to open the door to Chinese imports, which could take up to 18 months.