Chinese animal protein market becomes uncertain amidst the Asian Swine Flu outbreak

African Swine Fever and COVID-19 have created great volatility in China’s animal protein market. It has resulted in shifts in distribution channels and consumer behaviour which will eventually create new opportunities for meat exporters. In recent reports, a senior animal proteins analyst said that several major trends are expected to drive future change in the Chinese market, including more diversified consumer groups, increasingly blurred distinctions between various market segments and channels, and a higher demand for convenience and smaller packaging. Chinese pork consumption has seen the greatest changes in recent years as a result of AsianSwine Flu. Chinese pork supply dropped by more than 20% in 2019 and a further drop of 15% to 20% is expected in 2020.The pork consumption per capita in China has dropped from 40kg in 2018 to 32.6kg in 2019 and is expected to drop to 28kg in 2020. Chinese pork retail prices were expected to stay relatively high, with consumption comparatively low which would open opportunities for substitute meats such as beef and poultry.