China has reopened access to “major UK pork producers” following Covid-linked restrictions on some exports of the protein into the Asian country.
The deal secured with China by the UK government and industry representatives applies to “unprocessed pork products”, an agreement that is expected to add £80m ($101.8m) to last year’s export value, according to the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
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Defra suggested processed pork products such as sausages, bacon and offal shipped to China from the UK last year brought in £100m for local producers. A further £80m was derived from exports of “pork” and associated “products”, the government department said in a statement.
However, in the same statement, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) implied the agreement may only apply to “two UK sites”.
Graham Wilkinson, the CEO of the AHDB, which helped to secure the agreement, said: “China is our biggest export market for the pork sector and today’s announcement of the re-listing of two UK sites is very welcome news for the industry.”
He added: “AHDB, working closely with government and industry, has played an integral part in this process, organising technical discussions by gathering evidence to support official engagements and highlighting the economic value to the UK pork meat industry.”
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By GlobalDataAsked by Just Food, AHDB said it could not share the names of the two “abattoirs” concerned, as it confirmed some UK pork operators were suspended from China’s import list in 2020 during the pandemic.
The farmers’ and growers’ funded organisation added the “relisting” of the two UK sites was issued by The General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China.
Meanwhile, Just Food has asked Defra to clarify the status of the new export agreement in terms of the exact pork products involved and the bodies which the agreement with China applies to.
In its statement, Defra said China is the largest market for British pork outside of the EU.
Along with the AHDB, the agreement was secured during a “recent” visit to China by a government delegation, which was joined by the Department for Business and Trade and the UK Export Certification Partnership (UKECP).
Trade Minister Douglas Alexander said: “China is already a huge market for UK pork businesses, who exported £180 million of products to China last year alone.
“Today’s announcement will be welcome news for British farmers and producers who have been affected by the suspension and could grow British pork exports even further.”
Daniel Zeichner, the minister for food security, added: “This is a massive win for British pork producers who will now be able to send their high-quality products to one of our largest markets, worth £180 million.
“It’s a further example of this government delivering on our Plan for Change, boosting growth and benefitting businesses across the country.”
