China suspends imports of US logs and soybeans from three firms

Chinese customs authorities on Tuesday announced the suspension of US log imports and the suspension of soybean export qualifications to China for three US companies, effective the same day.

The General Administration of Customs (GAC) announced on Tuesday a suspension of US log imports according to the country's biological safety law, the entry and exit animal and plant quarantine law, and International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures, effective from the date of this announcement.

The GAC said recent inspections of imported US logs revealed quarantine pests such as bark beetles and longhorn beetles, and the move is to prevent the introduction of harmful organisms and safeguard China's agricultural and forestry production as well as ecological security.

On the same day, the GAC announced the suspension of soybean export qualifications to China for three US companies, including CHS Inc., LOUIS DREYFUS COMPANY GRAINS MERCHANDISING LLC, and EGT LLC, due to recent detections of ergot and seed-coated soybeans in imported US soybeans, according to a release from the customs.

The move is based on the country's food safety law, measures on the supervision and administration of inspection and quarantine for import and export grain as well as the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures under the WTO. It aims to protect the health of Chinese consumers and ensure the safety of imported grain, the GAC said.