U.S. Beef Exports to China Process Continuing

China announced that they would begin importing U.S. beef last month, but those imports haven’t started yet.

Phil Karsting with the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service said many folks would like it done yesterday, but they are still working through the process.

“We still need to negotiate the protocols that go along with it, to attach the certificates that will meet Chinese approval so we’re going to have to have a back and forth to make sure that that agreement in principle finds the most expeditious way to actualize that and get the trade start flowing.”

Karsting said that process could take several weeks.

According to Karsting, the Chinese market is expected to be a very lucrative one.

“They’ve got an emerging middle-class. They’re going to have more and more people. The first thing you do when you have more money in your pocket in the developing environment is you change your diet. A more protein-based diet means more meat and poultry and eggs.”

Karsting said the announcement was well-received by the U.S. and that it lines up with what international regulators have been saying about the quality and safety of U.S. beef.