China announced a ban on imports of German pork due to the arrival of African swine fever in Germany. China is the largest importer of pork from Germany.
After the arrival of African swine fever in Germany, China, following South Korea, is now banning imports of pork from Germany, as well as indirect imports and imports of pork products, according to several media reports, including German Radio, German TV 1, and N-TV. China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Chinese Customs announced the decision on Saturday. The German Ministry of Agriculture has confirmed the news.
Previously, Germany had stopped exporting pork to China and other countries outside the European Union because the German Ministry of Agriculture said it could no longer issue the necessary certificates due to swine fever.
On Thursday, a dead wild boar infected with the virus was found in Brandenburg near the Polish border. This is the first case of a German pig dying from African swine fever.
China is the world’s largest consumer of pork and the largest buyer of German pork. China’s complete ban on imports of German pork is a huge concern for German pig farmers and the pork economy. Joachim Rukwied, president of the German Farmers’ Federation, told German TV channel 2 on Friday that the loss of the Chinese market “will be a very, very heavy blow to us.
A spokesman for the German Ministry of Agriculture said in Berlin that Germany and the Chinese government are still in talks to reach an agreement on limiting the scope of swine fever, with the goal of limiting the import ban to the affected areas of Germany. In unaffected areas, pork imports and exports could continue as usual. This rule is already in use within the EU.
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