This, in spite of contemporary declines
China has been the sector’s greatest meat importer since 2019, in keeping with a contemporary USDA document. Regardless of contemporary discounts in imported meat volumes, the rustic stays within the best spot.
In 2022, China imported 43% greater than the second one greatest meat-importing nation, Japan. Problems comparable to illness, harder rules addressing environmental problems, and an exodus of small-scale farmers have constrained China’s meat provide, boosting home costs and incentives to import. As China’s maximum fed on meat, beef has a tendency to dominate its meat provide and insist. China surpassed Japan to grow to be the highest meat importer after an African swine fever epidemic sharply lowered China’s beef provide in 2019. Red meat output rebounded and meat imports dropped, however China remained the highest meat importer in 2022.
In the meantime, pork imports had been on the upward push. Longer pork manufacturing cycles, loss of grazing land, and protracted illness have constrained China’s livestock manufacturing, fighting it from assembly home call for.

Poultry intake is also emerging, as rooster has a tendency to be the least dear meat for customers to buy, however emerging feed prices and illness have greater home costs and boosted poultry imports. China’s meat intake confirmed indicators of peaking after 2014, however statistical type projections display that intake will keep growing thru 2031 in line with developments comparable to nutritional alternate and average enlargement in Chinese language source of revenue and costs.
Within the quick time period, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and ensuing financial slowdown in China weakened intake and related import potentialities throughout 2022. As well as, elements comparable to ongoing illness dangers and top feed prices—which scale back profitability for China’s farm animals manufacturers—proceed to play a job out there. This chart first seemed within the USDA, Financial Analysis Record, China’s Meat Intake: Expansion Possible, launched in July 2023.