The suspension of imported pork from Canadian pork supplier Maple Leaf Foods will result in very limited impacts on the Chinese market as pork imports from Canada only represent a small proportion of the country’s meat supply, said one industry insider.
The insider’s remarks come after Maple Leaf Foods announced they will suspend pork exports to China following a recent coronavirus outbreak there, according to the company’s statement on August 18.
“Maple Leaf Foods has temporarily suspended pork exports to China on a voluntary basis due to recent protocols adopted by the Chinese government for Canadian processors,” said the statement.
The protocol requires any plant reporting a COVID-19 positive case suspend exports to China temporarily.
“We respect China’s new import protocols for Canadian products and are working cooperatively with Canadian and Chinese authorities to resume exports quickly,” said Michael McCain, president and CEO, in the statement.
China purchased around C$609 million ($462.7 million) of pork in 2019, making it Canada’s third-largest pork market in terms of both value and volume, according to a Reuters report Wednesday, citing industry data.
“Reducing Canadian imports will have little impact on China’s meat market and prices,” Gao Guan, deputy director of the China Meat Association (CMA), told the Global Times on Thursday, noting that Canada ranks below the top five pork importers in China, with Brazil, the US and Germany among the top five.
