According to a Government announcement, China has recently approved five UK pork plants for export (two slaughterhouses and three cold stores). The NPA says this will build on a market that is currently worth £70 million per year.

The approvals are subject to Food Standards Agency inspections.

It is believed that the approval has come much sooner than predicted due to the pressure on China to secure meat imports. African swine fever has decimated a huge proportion of the Chinese pig herd and, being both the largest producer and importer of pork, China now needs to fill this gap to meet consumer demands.

In a statement, the UK Export Certification Partnership (UKECP) said it was expecting formal confirmation of the five new pork plant approvals 'very soon' and that, as a result of UK authority engagement with Chinese officials, this application for approval has been "fast tracked".

The NPA believes this development is particularly timely as it is expected that Chinese demand for pork imports will only increase throughout the year due to the impacts of ASF.