The UK's farming industry has received a boost following the lifting of Covid-era restrictions on unprocessed pork exports to China.
Chinese authorities suspended export licences for a number of UK processing plants amid the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020. While several facilities have since had their licences reinstated, two major sites have thus far been unable to regain access to the Chinese pork market, causing significant challenges for both the impacted processors and the wider UK pork industry.
Following lobbying from industry bodies and high-level bilateral engagements, the two sites have now been given the green light to resume exports – a move the UK government says could boost revenues by around £80mn.
"China bought around £180mn worth of pigmeat in 2023 alone – making them the UK's biggest non-EU customer," the UK government says. "Now, with these restrictions lifted, even more British produce will be heading east."
Representatives from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Department for Business and Trade were involved in getting British pork back on the menu in China, the government says, adding that collaboration also came from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and the UK Export Certification Partnership.
Douglas Alexander, the UK's trade minister, says the announcement "will be welcome news for British farmers and producers who have been affected by the suspension and could grow British pork exports even further."
Others commenting on the lifting of restrictions include Graham Wilkinson, the AHDB's CEO. "China is our biggest export market for the pork sector," he says, describing the re-listing of two UK sites as "very welcome news for the industry."
Angela Christison, pork sector director at the AHDB, is also positive about the news and what it means for producers. "Around 50% of the world's pork is consumed in China," she says. "It's impossible to overstate the importance of this market with its growing demand."
"The potential for our high-quality pork is immense and we look forward to continuing working with government and industry to maximise the opportunities," Christison adds. "Going into 2025 this will be a welcome boost for the UK pork sector, and we look forward to achieving further success."
Elsewhere, the National Farmers' Union of England and Wales (NFU) says it "supports and praises the extensive work undertaken by the UK government, and particularly the UK's agri-food attaché in China, to resolve this issue."
"The scale of opportunity created by resolving this market access barrier demonstrates the importance of having dedicated in-market specialists tackling barriers limiting British agri-food exports around the world," the NFU adds.
China accounted for 5.1% of total UK trade in the four quarters ending Q2, 2024. UK exports to the country came in at £32bn in the same period, a 24.1% drop compared to the four quarters ending Q2, 2023.
The agreement with China comes after UK beetroot producers gained export access to the US. Citing industry estimates, the UK government says export access to the US will boost the UK's beetroot sector by roughly £150,000 a year. The deal will also enable US firms to diversify their supply and meet demand outside their domestic growing season, it adds.