China prepares for importing Brazilian pork
China has approved a draft veterinary protocol for Brazilian pork imports according to the US Meat Export Federation.
The official announcement of the agreement was made at last week’s High Level Food Safety Forum in Beijing. The terms, however, have yet to be disclosed.
Donald Song, USMEF Senior North China Representative, attended the event and stated that there were unconfirmed reports that China would send officials from its veterinary agency AQSIQ this week to Brazil to inspect and approve some Brazilian pork export plants and perhaps finalise the agreement.
Victory
Accessing the Chinese pork market would represent a huge victory to Brazilian pork exporters. The USMEF has commented that Chinese pork processors see a fit between Brazil’s competitive pork prices and China’s raw material needs.
Pork prices in China have surged this year and much pressure is felt by demand for pork. This is believed to be one of the reasons why China has conceded to Brazil’s request to export its pork eastwards.
To-date China only imports pork from the US, Canada and a number of EU countries. Pork imports increased 120% to 383,189mt in October this year. Russia is Brazil’s largest export market – between 45-65% of total pork and pork variety meat exports in the last three years.
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