August 28, 2023

France secures green light for pork exports to Australia

France has obtained approval to export pork to Australia, forging a promising trade channel for a sector that has encountered demand fluctuations from its top importer, China, Farm Journal's Pork reported.

After extensive discussions encompassing sanitary certification, the Australian market officially welcomed French pork. The French agriculture ministry and the meat industry association, Culture Viande, announced this development through separate statements.

France now joins the ranks of pork-exporting nations such as Denmark and the US, marking its entry into the Australian market, which commands roughly 200,000 metric tonness of imports annually, as highlighted by Culture Viande.

The endorsement for pork imports comes against the backdrop of ongoing deliberations between Australia and the European Union (EU) concerning a prospective trade agreement.  France, as the largest agricultural producer within the EU, is at the forefront of these negotiations.

The discussions, however, encountered an impasse in July, partly due to the matter of increased market access for Australian agricultural products, specifically beef.

Don Farrell, Australia's Trade Minister, said that while the EU has the opportunity to invest in Australia's extensive critical minerals sector, it needs to enhance its offer in the trade talks to foster progress.

For Europe, pork exports have faced hurdles stemming from unpredictable demand originating from China, episodes of African swine fever outbreaks in Europe, and a decline in EU production coupled with escalating costs.

-      Farm Journal's Pork