RI chicken boycott angers U.S. poultry producers<\/p>\n
Associated Press, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Neil Carey knew it wouldn't be easy selling chicken to a Muslim
\ncountry like Indonesia. He had to fly in two imams to his
\nMissouri slaughterhouse to certify that the chickens were halal,
\nor permissible to eat under Islamic law.<\/p>\n
He never expected his efforts to land his company in the
\nmiddle of a trade fight between the U.S. and Indonesia - a battle
\nsparked by Indonesia's decision to ban U.S. poultry two years
\nago.<\/p>\n
Since then, Carey has seen his Indonesian importer tossed in
\njail and tons of his company's chicken impounded.<\/p>\n
\"It's frustrating,\" said Carey, director of international
\nsales for Simmons Foods Inc. of Siloam Springs, Arkansas. \"You
\nnever like to lose a market.\"<\/p>\n
Publicly, the Indonesian government won't speak about the ban,
\nalthough it has said it would prevent non-halal chicken from
\ngetting into the country.<\/p>\n
\"We are in the process of settling this,\" Agriculture Minister
\nBungaran Saragih said recently. \"It is no good to discuss this in
\nthe public. It will only make it more difficult to come to a win-
\nwin solution.\"<\/p>\n
Indonesia isn't alone in its rejection of U.S. poultry. Since
\n1990, U.S. chicken exports have tripled and with that has come
\nsquawks of protest from countries around the world.<\/p>\n
South Africa banned U.S. chicken imports, accusing the U.S. of
\nundercutting local producers. Russia slapped a temporary ban on
\nU.S. chicken this year amid allegations that U.S. chicken plants
\nwere unsanitary. And a federation of the Association of Southeast
\nAsian Nations poultry producers met recently to discuss ways to
\nprotect their local markets from imports.<\/p>\n
\"Unfortunately, it's the price of success,\" said Toby Moore,
\nspokesman for the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council in Atlanta.<\/p>\n
\"A lot of countries view imports of American poultry as an
\neasy target to make their own political statements,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Carey - whose company exports chicken to about 10 Muslim
\ncountries - thought he was doing everything right when he began
\nsending chicken parts to Indonesia in 1999. Two imams spent a
\nweek at his company's plant in Southwest City, Missouri, as the
\nIndonesia-bound birds were slaughtered.<\/p>\n
\"I was going through hoops to get it done,\" Carey said. \"That
\nis what my company does. Our customer expected us to do it and we
\ndo it.\"<\/p>\n
Within months, Simmons was shipping up to 300 tons of chicken
\nparts a month to Indonesia. But by the summer 2000, Indonesian
\nbanned all U.S. chicken imports.<\/p>\n
U.S. exporters said the ruling ignored a U.S. halal
\ncertification process, which included documentation from a U.S.
\nIslamic association showing the chickens were halal.<\/p>\n
Simmons was hit hard by the ban. Thirteen of its containers
\nwere impounded by customs in October 2000. Its importer, Tobeng
\nKoesnosdihardjo, was tossed in jail for 39 days on allegations
\nthat he violated Indonesia's food laws.<\/p>\n
\"I don't know why they put me in jail,\" said Koesnosdihardjo,
\nwho has been released from jail pending the outcome of his court
\ncase. \"I was very confused...This government is corrupt.
\nEverything is money, money, money.\"<\/p>\n
The U.S. took up the ban with Indonesian President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri when she visited Washington in September 2001. It
\nhas twice brought up the ban in the last year, including during a
\nvisit to Jakarta by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick.
\nBut to no avail.<\/p>\n
Moore, the poultry council spokesman, says the ban has more to
\ndo with political pressure from local poultry cartels than
\nreligion.<\/p>\n
\"There is no question that the majority of poultry producers
\nin Indonesia want to keep U.S. products out,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has repeatedly suggested that foreign imports were
\nkilling off the local poultry market.<\/p>\n
Last year, Indonesia proposed ending the ban in exchange for
\nconditions that including a demand that U.S. chickens be
\nslaughtered by hand and that Indonesian officials be allowed to
\nsupervise the slaughters. The proposal was deemed unrealistic by
\nU.S. officials.<\/p>\n
Back in Arkansas, Carey isn't waiting for a breakthrough. He
\nknows these disputes can drag on for years. His only option, he
\nsaid, is finding new markets for his birds.<\/p>\n
\"I've got chickens to sell,\" he said. \"But we'd love to see
\nIndonesia open back up.\"<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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