Don't Blame Politics for China's Ban on U.S. Pork
It’s an additive in American meat, not the trade war, that’s keeping Beijing from increasing imports as swine flu cuts domestic supplies.
No boat to China.
Photographer: Scott Olson/Getty Images
The African swine fever epidemic has pushed up Chinese wholesale pork prices by a quarter since the start of March. As much as a fifth of the country’s herd has been culled. So why won’t Beijing import American meat?
The prospect of replacing all those cuts lost to the cull would represent “the single greatest sales opportunity in our industry’s history” if China only removed import tariffs, according to the National Pork Producers Council. Those levies now stand at 62% because of the trade war with Washington. U.S. piggeries can only look with envy to less politically exposed European pig farmers, who are currently winning the battle to plug China’s pork gap.