Latest news with #importban
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
China Bans All Poultry Imports From Brazil on Bird Flu Case
China has banned imports of all poultry products from Brazil after a bird flu outbreak was detected in the world's top exporter, halting a trade worth more than $1 billion. Direct and indirect imports of all poultry and related products from Brazil are banned in order to prevent the importation of bird flu, China's customs agency said in a statement published late Friday. The agency also said all plants and animal waste arriving from Brazil must undergo disinfestation.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
China to resume Japanese seafood imports after Fukushima water row
Japan has announced that China will lift its ban on Japanese seafood imports. The ban was imposed in 2023 due to concerns over the discharge of wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean. Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said that the agreement was reached during a meeting between Japanese and Chinese officials in Beijing. The resumption of imports is contingent upon the completion of required paperwork. As of now, there has been no immediate statement from China regarding this development. The step is based on an agreement between the two nations that Beijing was to take steps toward ending the ban by joining water sampling missions as part of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The Fukushima Daiichi plant was damaged in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, triggering meltdowns in its three reactors and causing large amounts of radioactive water to accumulate. The wastewater was treated and heavily diluted to reduce the radioactivity as much as possible before Japan began discharging the wastewater in August 2023. Japan says the discharge has met international safety standards and data from the IAEA monitoring are publicly available. China blocked imports of Japanese seafood because it said the release would endanger the fishing industry and coastal communities in eastern China. Earlier this week, Japan announced plans to use slightly radioactive soil, stored near the nuclear plant, for flower beds outside Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's office. The move is intended to demonstrate the safety of reusing soil that was removed from Fukushima prefecture during decontamination efforts. Officials say that some of the soil has now reached levels deemed safe for reuse. The government aims to reassure the public by using the soil at Mr Ishiba's office in Tokyo, with plans to extend its use to flower beds and other purposes within government agency grounds.
Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
China to resume Japanese seafood imports
China imposed a ban on Japanese seafood imports in 2023. (EPA Images pic) TOKYO : China has agreed on procedures to resume imports of Japanese seafood products, Japan's government said today, marking a step towards ending a nearly two-year trade ban. Officials from Japan's ministry of agriculture, forestry and fisheries and China's customs reached the agreement during a meeting in Beijing on Wednesday, the ministry said, adding China-bound seafood exports are expected to resume after China takes 'necessary procedures'. The agreement comes as both governments work to ease tensions stemming from the 2023 release of treated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The Japanese ministry did not specify the details of the procedures. But the Nikkei newspaper, which reported the news earlier, said that under the agreed measures, Japan will register fishery processing facilities with Chinese authorities, and export shipments will include inspection certificates confirming the absence of radioactive substances such as cesium-137. Nikkei added that China is expected to formally announce the resumption of seafood imports from Japanese prefectures outside the Fukushima region in the near future. China imposed the ban on Japanese seafood imports in 2023, shortly after Tokyo began releasing treated wastewater from the disaster-hit plant, prompting a sharp diplomatic and economic backlash. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Japan Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Japan Times
China agrees to lift ban on Japanese seafood imports
China will soon resume the importation of seafood from Japan after the two countries reached an agreement that ends a ban related to the release of treated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the ocean. The deal was announced Friday. Exports will begin once Japan completes the registration of facilities that will be involved in the export of seafood products to China, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said. The exports will need to be accompanied by inspection certificates for radioactive cesium and iodine, certificates of origin and sanitary certificates, he explained, while noting that these requirements were in place before the discharge of treated water from Fukushima. 'This agreement marks a major milestone,' Hayashi said at a news conference Friday morning. He added that Japan will continue to press China to resume imports of Japanese beef and to lift restrictions on agricultural and marine products from 10 prefectures, while also urging the removal of import restrictions put into place by other jurisdictions, such as Hong Kong and South Korea. Masanobu Sakamoto, chairman of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations, said in a statement issued on Friday that the agreement represents a 'significant progress.' He urged the government to work toward removing all import restrictions imposed by all countries and regions. 'At the same time, we call for the continued implementation of related measures, such as support for expanding domestic consumption and overseas exports of Japanese seafood,' the statement continued. China prohibited the import of all Japanese seafood from August 2023 in protest of the discharge into the ocean of treated radioactive water from Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, which was crippled by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Japan has repeatedly called for the restriction to be lifted. In September 2023, China agreed to 'gradually resume' imports of Japanese seafood products once all safety conditions were met. This came after Japan and the International Atomic Energy Agency agreed to allow third-party inspectors — including those from China — to be involved in an expanded Fukushima wastewater monitoring program. Exchanges between Tokyo and Beijing have become increasingly productive over the past year, with China extending the occasional olive branch. But China's increased military activity in the region keeps Japan wary.
Russia Today
7 days ago
- Business
- Russia Today
Polish farmers call for Russian cucumber ban
Polish cucumber producers have called for a ban on Russian imports after data revealed that Russia became the nation's leading supplier in March, according to local media reports. Polish farmers claim that Russian producers benefit from lower energy costs, allowing them to sell products at cheaper prices. While overall Russian agricultural exports to the EU fell by 79% year-on-year in January 2025, shipments of fresh cucumbers from Russia rose sharply, according to Eurostat data. In Poland in particular, deliveries reached a four-year high in the spring. Lukasz Gwizdala, the operations director of the Polish Association of Tomato and Cucumber Producers, claimed last week that the influx of Russian cucumbers has disrupted the domestic market. He stated that Polish farmers have urged the government to ban imports of the vegetable amid record supply levels. Over 2,000 tons, worth €2.7 million ($3.07 million), entered Poland in March – 2.5 times more than in February and 25% higher than in March 2024, RIA Novosti reported last week, citing Eurostat data. The export value was the highest since March 2021, when sales reached €3.1 million. Of the €3.25 million Poland spent on cucumber imports in March, 83% came from Russia, making Poland the leading EU importer of Russian cucumbers, the figures showed. Polish farmers argue they are facing unfair competition from Russian producers, as heating greenhouses to grow tomatoes and cucumbers requires fuel, which has become significantly more expensive over the past three years. 'The Russians have access to their own energy resources, and as a result, lower production costs,' Gwizdala told the outlet. 'When they sell their products in Poland, we are dealing with unfair competition because we have limited access to cheap energy.' The EU has imposed multiple sanctions targeting Russian energy exports since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. The restrictions have led to a rapid rise in energy prices and production costs for energy-intensive industries within the bloc, hitting various sectors including greenhouse agriculture. Gwizdala said his association is now in talks with the agriculture and environment ministries, pushing for an EU-wide embargo on cucumber and tomato imports from Russia and Belarus, with a decision possible within the next two months. Last year, Sergey Dankvert, head of Russian agricultural watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor, told RBK that lower gas prices make Russian greenhouse vegetables cheaper than those in the EU. He predicted that with costly US LNG, European products risk losing their competitiveness while Russian exports gain market share.
