An Iowa turkey executive encourages Chinese officials to allow United States turkey back into the East Asian market.
Gretta Irwin is Executive Director and Home Economist for the Iowa Turkey Federation. Ben Nuelle spoke to Irwin before she departed for the first all-agriculture trade mission to China. During their conversation, Irwin shared the need to export turkey product into China.
?Since 2015, when we had highly pathogenic Avian influenza hit Iowa and really impact our industry, our exports to China have been banned, and that has had a huge impact on our industry,? Irwin said. Before the ban, the business for the turkey industry in China was over $70 billion. This has been a huge loss to the turkey industry, and obviously the economic health of our industry across Iowa and the United States.
Irwin said not only are turkey exports of huge importance to the economic vitality of Iowa?s turkey industry, but also to China?s population.
?We have lots of things to offer to China,? Irwin said. ?We have two great processing facilities in Iowa (Tyson Foods, in Storm Lake, and West Liberty Foods, in West Liberty); we are the fifth in the United States for turkey processing. Our products are typically what the Chinese market it looking for. They will buy turkey tongues, tails, testicles and dark meat products, which we sometimes have a harder time selling in the U.S. market. We have great technology in our processing facilities as well. For example, we use high-pressure pasteurization; meaning we package the turkey products, and then pasteurize them by putting high, intense pressure on those packaged products. That (process) extends shelf life and adds to the food safety of that product, so it?s a really safe and easy product to export into markets like China.?
The Iowa Turkey Federation talked about Iowa?s preparedness, in the event of another Avian influenza outbreak. Irwin said the organization also stressed regionalization during the trade mission.
