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 overviewChina 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.

至2024年9月，中国动物肉类产品进口总额约为18亿美元，与去年同期相比，降幅显著。2024年1月至9月，肉类总进口额超过167亿美元。概览来看，中国不仅是世界最大的肉类生产国，亦是主要的进口国。2022年，国内肉类产量高达9200万吨，其中猪肉占比超过一半。然而，为了满足国内需求，中国在2022年单独进口了超过170万吨的猪肉，270万吨的牛肉，60万吨的禽肉，以及40万吨的羊肉和羔羊肉。何为非洲猪瘟？非洲猪瘟是一种病毒性疾病，通常具有致命性，影响家猪和野猪。该病的首次爆发正式报告于1907年，但引起该病的病毒在数百年前就已经演化。2018年中旬，中国检测到一种特别致命的非洲猪瘟病毒株，随后该病毒在蒙古、越南、柬埔寨、韩国以及其他亚洲国家，以及澳大利亚和欧洲均有报道。预计该疾病将导致全球猪群的四分之一死亡，以及中国猪群比例更大的损失。自然，这一危机推高了全球猪肉价格，并促使如中国等国家增加猪肉进口，鉴于猪肉长期以来一直是中国消费量最大的肉类类型。