France is one step closer to exporting beef to China. Last week Chinese inspectors inspected seven slaughterhouses in France.
China, the world's second largest beef importer, has already approved France for beef. However, Beijing demands its own certificates for each slaughterhouse. The results of the inspections, which took place last week, are not yet available.
The accelerated approval process was certainly also helped by Emmanuel Macron's recent visit to China. There is a political will, market participants say. Otherwise, we would not have been ready yet, according to experts.
China imported nearly 700,000 tons of beef worth $ 3.3 billion in 2017. That's 20% more than the year before.
Ireland was the first EU country to access the Chinese beef market. The full import permit was issued in April, two years after Beijing lifted an import ban against Ireland.
Now it could also be fast for other EU countries, says Phil Hogan, EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development.The many small EU countries are unlikely to outnumber the large supply nations of the US and Brazil, but the permits come in a commercially interesting period.
In France's domestic market, as in neighboring countries, consumption for beef has fallen because eating habits have changed. Chinese consumers also consume innards that are hard to sell in Europe.
Text: HANSA Derivatives Trading GmbH / 
