The UK has been given green light to ship pork products to its second largest market outside of the EU, China.
One of the country’s largest food producers has received official notification to start supplying pigs’ trotters to China, following a successful inspection by Chinese authorities.
Two further facilities in Northern Ireland have also received the first ever approval to export all cuts of pork, including trotters.
Levy board AHDB has identified China as a ‘very high’ potential market for UK pig meat exports and it is already the UK’s biggest customer outside the EU, importing 40,000 tonnes of UK pork and 36,000 tonnes of UK offal in 2016.
There is particular benefit to the industry in exporting the so-called ‘fifth quarter’ – products that have limited value in the UK but are prized in the Chinese market.
Farming minister George Eustice has previously explained that farmers could gain a financial advantage after Brexit by increasing exports of chicken feet to China.
Mr Eustice said farmers had the opportunity to increase exports of the popular snack to China and other regions where parts of the bird are rejected by British shoppers.
'Delicacy'
Defra Secretary Michael Gove recently visited Northern Ireland to talk to local farmers there. He said tastes for different cuts of pig could create a scenario for exporting.
“There are some cuts of the animal that are hugely popular with the British consumer, others a little less. But some of those cuts are hugely popular elsewhere, say, for example, pigs’ ears are a delicacy in China.”
He said Britain has not been “as successful as we might have been at selling pigs’ ears to China [because] EU rules dictate that pigs, like all livestock, have ear tags.”
“Unpierced pigs’ ears are worth more. We will have a fair, competitive advantage – we can sell more pigs’ ears to China and that means there can be more bacon and pork and ham from the other joints of the animal that are popularly sold here.
“So by selling more sows’ ears to China we can buy more silk purses for British farmers.”
The new agreements will support around 1,500 jobs across the country. Demand for British food and drink is growing in China, with the total value of exports rising by a third to £438m in 2016.
In particular, demand for UK pork has doubled in terms of value over the last three years. Nine producers already export to China and generated £43m last year.
Ambitions with China
Dr Phil Hadley, International Market Development Director, said it is an opportunity in what has been a long-term project involving collaboration across industry and government.
“This is a significant step forward in our ambitions for China and stands to have a huge impact on the whole supply chain.”
The announcement comes after a lengthy process of technical negotiations led by AHDB, in collaboration with Defra, FSA, UKECL and the wider industry, to demonstrate equivalence of animal health and hygiene standards.
Mike Sheldon, Chair of the AHDB Pork Board, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for the industry to tap into one of the world’s fastest-growing markets. This news bears testament to the high standards, quality and safety of UK pork production.”
Thursday's green-light notification comes after market access for pork products to China was announced in August.
