Chinese pork imports continued to “boom” throughout the first half of 2016, with June imports of fresh/frozen pork up 138% on the year at 762,000 tonnes.
China has been rationalising its breeding herd, and domestic production has yet to recover. Pig price in China has therefore reached historic highs.
The first six months of 2016 have been particularly good for European pigmeat exports to China, with over two thirds of the country’s pork imports coming from the EU.
Germany heads the export list with 153,600 tonnes dispatched between January and June this year compared with 83,400 tonnes in the equivalent first six months of 2015.
Spanish producers also achieved major progress, moving from 57,300 tonnes of exports in the first half of 2015 to 135,900 tonnes in the equivalent period this year.