US to appeal China's new tariffs

The group that represents the nation's chicken exporters says U.S. producers did not sell their products at unfairly low prices in China and plans to appeal new tariffs imposed by China.

The Chinese government says that its investigation found that U.S. chicken products are being sold at low prices which undermine the local market. New import duties ranging from 50.3 percent to as much as 105.4 percent will take effect Monday and last for five years.

China imposes duties on US chicken

China has imposed anti-subsidy duties for five years on imports of chicken from the US. Importers must pay tariff rates ranging from 4 percent to 30.3 percent on U.S. broiler or chicken products, starting Aug. 30, the ministry announced. The ministry said producers benefited from government subsidies that lowered feed prices and hurt Chinese competitors.

China to Tax U.S. Chicken

China is getting increasingly bold in its response to an ongoing trade dispute with the U.S., Chinese authorities Friday slapped preliminary import duties of as much as 105.4% on U.S. chicken products.

The Ministry of Commerce which announced the decision said U.S dumping is hurting China's domestic poultry industry. Once the new directive takes effect Feb. 13, U.S. exporters, including Pilgrim's Pride Corp. and Tyson Foods Inc., will be required to deposit the duty with Chinese customs, pending a final decision on the matter.

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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.