By winging to Middle East, McAuliffe makes way for poultry sales
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Version 0 of 1. RICHMOND — The chickens have come home to roost for Virginia’s globe-trotting Gov. Terry McAuliffe. In a good way. Two countries McAuliffe (D) visited on his most recent foreign trade mission have lifted bans on Virginia poultry. Kuwait announced its move this week. Oman did so in late November, when McAuliffe was there as part of an 11-day mission to the Middle East and India. “As we work to grow Virginia’s agricultural and forestry exports and build a new Virginia economy, I am committed to advocating directly with senior government officials here and abroad to open or re-open markets for our products,” McAuliffe said. McAuliffe has made a push for expanding and diversifying Virginia’s defense-heavy economy, frequently traveling abroad to seek foreign investment in the commonwealth and pitch Virginia products. [China lifts 7-year ban on Virginia poultry exports] Much of what he tries to sell are agricultural and forestry products, which represent the largest segment of Virginia’s economy. Poultry is the largest slice of that, producing more than $1 billion in farm sales, contributing more than $13 billion to the state’s economy and supporting 52,000 jobs, according to the Virginia Poultry Federation. The bans in Oman and Kuwait were imposed in the spring in response to an outbreak of avian flu in several Western and Midwestern states. They cut into Virginia poultry sales, but only slightly since neither country has been a major importer. Virginia sold about $1 million in poultry to Oman in 2014 and just over $261,000 to Kuwait. The state had just begun to focus on those countries when the ban was imposed and now hopes to expand those markets. McAuliffe, who happens to keep a coop of chickens at the governor’s mansion in Richmond, discussed potential future purchases with overseas importers. “Information gathered from these meetings is being shared with Virginia poultry companies producing and exporting halal-certified products and whole birds,” the governor’s office noted in a news release, referring to Islamic dietary standards. [Chickens find stately roost at Virginia governor’s mansion] “Having open and fair access to growing export markets, such as Kuwait and other Middle East countries, will help our diversified agricultural economy continue producing jobs and revenue right here at home,” Agriculture Secretary Todd Haymore said this week, in response to Kuwait’s action. In May 2014, McAuliffe helped convince China to lift its seven-year ban on Virginia poultry. The state’s last three governors had been trying to reverse that since an avian flu outbreak at a single farm cost commonwealth turkey and chicken farmers access to the fast-growing Chinese market. China’s decision to lift the ban was expected to boost the state’s poultry exports by $20 million or more a year. But China later reinstated a ban on all U.S. poultry because of an outbreak in other states. Haymore said he and McAuliffe are continuing to press China to reconsider, at least when it comes to Virginia poultry, which was not affected by the outbreak. “I think it’s safe to say that given that we have made it through the fall migratory season without an instance of bird flu, we intend to follow up with the Chinese embassy in the near future to discuss the possibility of Virginia being removed from the banned exports list,” Haymore said. |