Beijing has reinstated export registrations, enabling hundreds of U.S. pork and poultry facilities to resume exports to China, industry groups reported on Monday. The decision follows earlier lapses that had jeopardized shipments to China, according to Reuters.
China has extended the registrations for U.S. pork and poultry facilities by five years, covering those that had expired in February and over the weekend. According to the U.S. Meat Export Federation and the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council, registrations for U.S. beef facilities have not yet been renewed.
The renewals provide relief to U.S. farmers and meat companies dealing with trade tensions involving key agricultural importers like China and Canada.
The export registrations for U.S. meat plants, issued by China under the 2020 Phase 1 trade agreement, expired on March 16, placing billions of dollars in trade at stake. Although shipments from facilities with expired registrations were still being cleared, U.S. exporters remained uncertain about how long this situation would persist. Beijing mandates that food exporters must register with customs to sell their products in China.
China’s customs website revealed that registrations for meat plants, granted under the 2020 “Phase 1” trade agreement, expired on Sunday—representing about two-thirds of all registered facilities. The agreement that ended the previous U.S.-China trade dispute required Beijing to boost its purchases of U.S. goods and services, including meat, by $200 billion within two years.
On Sunday, pork and poultry plants, including major producers like Smithfield Packaged Meats, were granted eligibility until 2030. Additionally, the National Pork Producers Council stated that export approvals for over 300 U.S. pork facilities to China have been renewed for an additional five years.
In March, Beijing enacted retaliatory tariffs on approximately $21 billion worth of American agricultural products, including a 10% levy on U.S. pork, beef, and dairy. In 2024, the U.S. ranked as China’s third-largest meat supplier by volume, following Brazil and Argentina.
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