April 25, 2009

 

China may open pork market to Brazil by May

Brazil's pork producers may be qualified to export to China by May 19, when Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visits Beijing, the Brazilian Pock Packaging and Export Association (Abipecs) said Friday (Apr 24).

 

China sent veterinary inspectors to Brazil in November 2008, and Brazil had submitted detailed information on 24 meatpackers that hoped to be qualified.

 

Abipecs President Pedro de Camargo Neto said Brazil's ambassador to China will have a key meeting Monday (Apr 27) with the minister responsible for the sanitary area at China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ).

 

Camargo Neto also said the presidential visit is expected to accelerate the certification process.

 

China, the world's largest pork producer and consumer, has in the past three years gone from exporter to importer due to growing consumption and problems such as swine diseases and natural disasters that disrupted production.

 

Last year, China imported more than 400,000 tonnes of pork from the US and the EU.