USTR requested the information for a required report to Congress on China's compliance with its World Trade Organization commitments.

NPPC pointed out that, despite better market access to the Asian nation included as part of the 2020 US-China Phase One trade agreement, US pork exports remain restricted because of China's tariffs, domestic subsidies, and various sanitary and phytosanitary restrictions, which violate WTO rules. Additionally, China recently refused to renew export registrations for about 400 US beef facilities and nine pork plants, meaning they can't export meat to China.

Among other restrictions, NPPC noted China's requirement that all US pork exports test negative for residues of ractopamine hydrochloride, a feed additive used for growth promotion and feed efficiency in US hog production. Ractopamine has a maximum residue limit set by the UN's Codex Alimentarius Commission that is widely accepted globally.

The country also has subjected pork shipments from some US facilities to increased inspections because of alleged detections of animal diseases, such as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome. The United States utilizes vaccines to control the spread of PRRS, which is endemic in China, and certain common testing techniques are known to show false positives when the animals being tested have received vaccinations.

NPPC notes China was the No. 3 value market for US pork in 2024, with the pork industry shipping more than US$1.1 billion of product, or about 13% of its total exports, to the Asian country. China accounted for 59% of US pork variety meat exports, including feet, heads, stomachs and hearts. They add value to every pig produced in the United States. There is no alternative market to take the volume and value of US pork variety meat in demand by China.

-National Hog Farmer