Exports to China: The EU loses ground while the US gains

In 2023, China imported a total of 2.64 Mt of pork and pork by-products in 2023, a decrease of 5.2%, according to the latest government data. The figures of 4 to 5 Mt per year of imports, as happened in 2020 and 2021, are already very far away. The main reason is the recovery of the pig census in China. Of the quantities imported in 2023, 1.54 Mt came from the fresh and frozen pork categories and 1.1 Mt from the slaughter by-products category. Therefore, imports of meat and by-products evolved very differently. This represented a decrease of 11.6% for fresh and frozen pork compared to the previous year, while there was an increase of 5.6% for slaughter by-products. The EU remains the export leader but loses ground In 2023, the main supplier of pork to the Chinese market remains the EU, providing almost half of imported pork and by-products. The most important supplier countries were Spain with almost 602,000 t, the Netherlands with about 241,000 t and Denmark with about 234,000 t ...