On November 22, a shipment of U.S.-certified sustainable soybeans was unloaded in Guangdong Province in China. U.S. Secretary for Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, who was visiting China, observed the unloading of 59,000 tonnes of soybeans certified under the U.S. Soy Sustainability Assurance Protocol (SSAP).
During a tour of the port in Guangzhou, the Secretary met with U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) staff Paul Burke, North Asia Regional Director and Mr. Zhang Xiaoping, Country Director. The USSEC staff took the opportunity to detail the SSAP and the certification process, which is based on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations and supported by USDA audits of soybean producers.