Monthly import of meat products in China 2023-2024

In September 2024, animal meat product imports to China amounted to approximately 1.8 billion U.S. dollars, a significant decrease from the same month of the previous year. Total meat imports exceeded 16.7 billion U.S. dollars from January to September 2024.

Meat import overview

China is the world’s largest meat producer and importer. In 2022, over 92 million metric tons of meat was produced in the country, over a half of which was pork. However, to meet the national demand, China imported more than 1.7 million tons of pork, 2.7 million tons of beef, 0.6 million tons of poultry meat, and 0.4 million tons of mutton and lamb in 2022 alone.

What is African swine fever?

African swine fever is a viral and usually fatal animal disease which affects domestic pigs and wild boars. The first outbreak of this disease was officially reported in 1907. However, the virus causing it had evolved hundreds of years earlier. In mid-2018, a particularly virulent strain of African swine fever was detected in China and was later reported in Mongolia, Vietnam, Cambodia, South Korea, other Asian countries as well as Australia and Europe. The disease was expected to kill around a quarter of the world’s pig population and an even larger proportion of China’s hog herd. Naturally, the crisis inflated the global pork prices and boosted imports in countries such as China, where pork has long been the most consumed type of meat.