August 2, 2010

China postpones Brazil's pork-plants check

A visit by Chinese officials scheduled to inspect Brazilian pork meatpackers in July has been delayed until August, according to Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture.

Brazil's pork exporters have been lobbying for China to open its doors to pork exports since 2008, but the process is slow. "This is just a small adjustment," says Pedro de Camargo Neto, president of Brazil's pork exporters association or Abipecs.

It took a longtime to secure Chinese approval for beef and chicken imports, he says. "The visit is part of a possible solution, but it's a long process to begin exporting to China," he adds.