GACC certification is mandatory for the export of pork to China
18. August 2020Corona virus outbreaks in slaughterhouses have resulted in less pork being processed. This puts the breeders in dire straits since they have to feed their stock a couple weeks longer than usual while also having to accept a general decline in revenue. They must therefore also expand to other markets such as China. This has not been easy, according to Chinese media many imports are stuck in customs without proper import documents (GACC certification).
These events cause even more problems for Chinese consumers. For years, the demand for pork in China has been growing by several percent annually. In 2018 African swine fever broke out in Asia, and millions of pigs had to be destroyed. Imports from other countries rose rapidly, making China the world’s largest importer of pork accounting for almost 50% of global demand.
Since 2018, the import volume of pork in China has almost tripled, from approx. 1.4 million tons at the end of 2017 to an estimated 3.9 million tons in 2020. Germany alone delivered almost 600,000 tons to China in 2019. The Association of Livestock and Meat Producers’ (Vereinigung der Erzeugergemeinschaften für Vieh und Fleisch (VEZG)) was able to steadily raise the price of pork per kilo, at a maximum price of over 2 €/kg in early 2020. Since then the price has fallen by more than 25%.
China cut import duties on pork (and some other products) from 12% to 8% in January 2020 to counter rising internal and external pressures. Further tariff cuts are expected in the wake of the Corona crisis.
Exporting companies must be approved in order to be able to export pork to China. GACC certification for the meat products is necessary to enter the Chinese market. In the course of the approval, detailed documents and in some cases even accreditation of the establishments by Chinese auditors are required. Mistakes can easily occur during the approval process, as, for example, an incorrect application can give a breeding company approval for trade but not for breeding.
If exports to China continue to increase (which seems very likely), exporters must ensure that they avoid such problems at Chinese customs to obtain the mandatory China GACC certification.
Are you a producer of pork and interested in exporting to China? Contact us at any time for all questions regarding the approval process of GACC certification at +49692713769150 (for Europe) or +1 773 654 2673 (for USA) or by e-mail.
