Chinese pork imports on the rise

As the Chinese breeding herd continued to fall, a surge in imports of pork was recorded between July and September, AHDB noted in its third quarter analysis of the Chinese market. A record high for the time of year of 198,000t came into the country, more than 70,000t higher than in the third quarter of 2014.

This builds upon the increasing volumes imported in the first two quarters of 2015, with demand continuing to grow due to tight domestic supplies. The total value of Chinese pork imports for the first nine months of 2015 totalled RMB5.9 billion (£612m), up 23% on the year.

An uplift in shipments was recorded for all of the major exporters to China during July to September, with the EU remaining the dominant supplier. Volumes from the EU were ahead by 63% compared to the same period in 2014. This was largely driven by Germany and Spain, with shipments ahead of the third quarter of 2014 by 72% and 48% respectively, AHDB stated. Imports from the UK were also well up, rising by over 40% to 9,000t.

Outside the EU, both the US and Canada showed increases for the third quarter of the year. Volumes were ahead by 55% and 26% respectively, but this was not sufficient to fully offset lower shipments in the first half of the year.

Following on from the first half of 2015, imports of pig offal continued to be down on the year, with volumes for the third quarter running at nearly 14% lower. Imports from the EU did rise by 18%, but this was not enough to offset the declines of 62% for the US and 17% for Canada, AHDB said.