Due to tight domestic supplies, pork imports into China increased 22% to 518,000 tonnes during the first three quarters, said the AHDB Pork, a division of the UK's Agriculture and Horticulture DevelopmentBoard.

During the third quarter alone, imports reached a record high 198,000 tonnes, or more than 70,000 tonnes higher than in the same period last year.

In terms of value, Chinese pork imports in the first nine months totalled RMB5.9 billion (£612 million or US$938.7 million), up 23% year-on-year.

Shipments from all major exporters posted increases during the July-September period, with the EU remaining as the dominant supplier. Volumes from the EU were up 63% compared with the same first-three-quarter period in 2014, largely driven by Germany and Spain, from which shipments during the third quarter were up 72% and 48% respectively from 2014. Imports from the UK also rose by over 40% to 9,000 tonnes in the third quarter.

Pork imports from third countries likewise increased, with volumes from the US and Canada up 55% and 26% respectively. However, these were not enough to fully offset lower shipments in the first half of the year.

China's imports of pig offal, meanwhile, continued its downtrend, with volumes in the third quarter down nearly 14% from last year. Imports from the EU, however, rose by 18% but were not enough to offset the 62% decline in imports from the US and 17% decline from Canada.