The National Chicken Council says the announcement that U.S. beef exports will return to China is a positive step towards resuming chicken exports to China as well. U.S. chicken has been blocked by China since January 2015, when the country issued a blanket ban on all U.S. poultry over issues related to avian influenza. In a news release, NCC President Mike Brown encouraged the administration to “continue their work to remove China’s obstacles preventing U.S. broiler access to their marketplace.” Poultry exports to China peaked in 2008, with an export value of $722 million. The trade deal announced by the White House will also allow Chinese companies to export cooked poultry products to the United States.