US meat exports at risk as China lets registrations lapse

Mei Mei Chu

Sun, Mar 16, 2025, 9:33 PM 2 min read

By Mei Mei Chu

BEIJING (Reuters) - Export registrations for much than 1,000 U.S. nutrient plants granted by China nether the 2020 "Phase 1" commercialized woody lapsed connected Sunday, China's customs website showed, threatening U.S. exports to the world's largest purchaser amid an ongoing tariff standoff.

The registration presumption for pork, beef and poultry plants crossed the U.S., including large producers Tyson Foods , Smithfield Packaged Meats and Cargill Meat Solutions was changed from "effective" to "expired", according to the website of China's General Administration of Customs.

The expiration of astir two-thirds of the full registered facilities could restrict U.S. marketplace entree and incur important losses to a astir $5 cardinal trade, a caller affront to American farmers aft Beijing earlier this period imposed retaliatory tariffs connected immoderate $21 cardinal worthy of American workplace goods.

Beijing requires nutrient exporters to registry with customs to merchantability successful China.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has said China did not respond to repeated requests to renew works registrations, perchance violating the Phase 1 commercialized agreement.

Under the Phase 1 commercialized deal, China is obligated to update its approved works database wrong 20 days of receiving updates from the USDA.

Registrations for immoderate 84 U.S. plants lapsed successful February and portion shipments from these affected plants proceed to wide customs, the manufacture doesn't cognize for however agelong China volition let imports.

China's customs section did not instantly respond to faxed questions.

In 2024, the U.S. was China's third-largest nutrient supplier by volume, trailing Brazil and Argentina, accounting for 590,000 tons oregon 9% of China's full nutrient imports.

(Reporting by Mei Mei Chu; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)