China reopens market to remaining UK pork exporters affected by Covid restrictions

CHINA – The UK government has announced that China has reopened its market to the last two UK pork producers impacted by the Asian country’s Covid-related trade suspensions. 

This development means that the British pork sector is now fully accessible to both processed and unprocessed pork exports to China, after some restrictions were placed on certain producers in 2020 due to the pandemic.

The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) estimates that this new agreement could increase the value of UK pork exports to China by an additional US$101.8 million, based on figures from the previous year.

According to Defra, processed pork items such as bacon, sausages, and offal contributed US$126.6 million in export revenue for the UK pork industry last year.

An additional US$101.8 million came from the export of pork and related products.

While Defra did not reveal the names of the two companies involved in the deal, it confirmed that not all UK pork producers were affected by the restrictions. 

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), which played a key role in securing the agreement, expressed support for the deal. 

CEO Graham Wilkinson noted that China remains the largest export market for British pork. 

Trade Minister Douglas Alexander acknowledged the importance of the Chinese market, pointing out that UK pork exports to China totaled US$228 million last year. 

China is the world’s largest consumer of pork, accounting for about 40% of the world’s total pork consumption. 

Pork is the most popular meat in China, making up around 60% of the country’s total meat consumption.

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