Chinese meat import stagnates considerably

Last month, China imported 758.000 tons of meat, which is 8,9% less than the same month last year. Compared to a month earlier, a decrease of 11% is also visible. Over the whole of 2021, China imported 6,69 million tons through August. This is barely 2% more than in the same period last year.

The drop in imports in recent months is mainly due to the increasing availability of pork in the Asian country. European meat exporters are reaping the bitter fruits of this.

Pig prices down
Falling Chinese demand is having an impact on pig prices in Europe, which are under persistent pressure. Also the piglet market suffers from this development, as fattening pig farmers have little confidence in the pricing later this year and are therefore reluctant to impose new flocks.

In China itself, the shortage of pork has turned into an oversupply, resulting in falling pig prices. The Chinese government has meanwhile started to buy pork, but that has not yet been able to stop the price fall.

The average Chinese pig price today (Tuesday, September 7) is 13,82 yuan per kilogram of live weight. This equates to €1,80. At these levels, pig farmers in the Asian country are reportedly unable to afford to pay.