Mexico complains about H1N1 pork bans
Mexico has complained during a WTO meeting that seven countries continue to block imports of its pork over concerns about H1N1 flu.
During the meeting on the safety and hygiene of traded goods, the United States, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Brazil and others stressed that trade restrictions in response to the flu “have no scientific justification”, officials said.
Ukraine, Indonesia, China and Jordan are among the countries that imposed pork bans and barriers in response to the outbreak of H1N1. All four countries told the WTO committee that their measures were meant to be temporary and had been lifted or would be lifted once scientific evidence was further examined.
China defended its aggressive moves to limit pork imports, citing its large vulnerable population and the importance of pigs and pork in the Chinese diet, diplomats said.
Mexico listed China among with Armenia, Bahrain, Gabon, Indonesia, Jordan and Surinam as countries that have kept trade-restricting measures in place in spite of statements from United Nations and scientific officials that pork posed no H1N1 risks.
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