EU-Sino Meat Forum - 16 May 2018 - Shanghai, China - UECBV press release
17 May 2018
16/05/2018
Brussels, Belgium
Press Release

The EU food safety model promoted in China

Seizing the opportunity of EU Commissioner Phil Hogan’s visit to China, the EU meat industry is promoting the EU food safety model in Shanghai.

The European Livestock and Meat Trades Union (UECBV) and representatives of the meat industry of four Member States (Belgium, Denmark, Ireland and Netherlands) have organised today (Wednesday 16 May 2018) a Meat Forum in Shanghai. These four Member States are running an information campaign in China on the EU beef and pork, co-financed by the EU Funds for promotion.

The purpose of the forum was to highlight the outstanding model implemented and enforced by the EU and the Member States in order to ensure a high level of quality and safety for beef and pork.

The EU model has been described and explained by high-profile speakers, such as EU Commissioner Ph. Hogan and the Irish Minister for Agriculture M. Creed, while the EU meat industry representatives have underlined the enforcement of that model in their respective Member States.

This event ‘is an excellent example of how we like our EU promotion policy to work. One of the main objectives of the promotion policy is to encourage beneficiaries to work together and look for synergies’, underlined Ph. Hogan. Irish Minister M. Creed added: ‘Our presence here today, as members of the European Union, together with members of the China Meat Association, is a testament of the power of collective action and collaboration’.

By reinforcing the message that the European meat and meat products meet the highest standards of food safety and quality, the event aimed at consolidating the market share of the EU pork in China. The EU is already China’s first supplier of pork, worldwide. The EU exported 1.4 million tons in 2017, for a value amounting to over €2 billion. The EU pork export to China contributes highly to the EU positive trade balance for agricultural products and food.

Another objective of the event was to establish a sustainable partnership with China for the beef sector. At present, two Member States are approved for beef export to China: Hungary and, more recently, Ireland. Soon, other Member States, such as France and Netherlands, will demonstrate the EU beef industry capabilities to meet the Chinese expectations. Today, this market is dominated by Latin American, Australian and New Zealand producers, but there are major opportunities for the EU beef, taking into account the high potential growth for the beef demand in China (the increase is estimated to 1.4 million tons per year).

The event was not only about trade and raising the profile of the EU as a source of quality beef and pork, but also about cooperation at multiple levels.

The work will not stop in Shanghai. The EU Commission, in partnership with the Member States and the food industry, will continue raising awareness and understanding through a number of initiatives, such as political visits in both directions at the highest level (a China/EU summit is expected before the summer break), technical engagement between officials, seminars, inward study visits to the EU, interaction with veterinary services, food safety agencies and authorities. All these initiatives will provide assurance on food safety standards.

Therefore, today, the EU meat industry, together with the Chinese business representatives attending the Meat Forum under the umbrella of the Chinese Meat Association (CMA), have launched a long-term partnership based on EU food safety, animal health and traceability systems that are regarded as world class.

The Meat Forum concluded with a tasting ceremony where the Chinese business representatives were able to enjoy EU beef and pork.





For further information:

Joris Coenen, Belgium, Tel: +32 2 552 81 20 | E-mail: Joris.Coenen@vlam.be
Knud Buhl, Denmark, Tel: +32 2 238 08 78 | E-mail: KB@agridan.be
Tara McCarthy, Ireland, Tel: + 353 1 668-5155 | E-mail: Tara.McCarthy@BordBia.IE
Frans van Dongen, Netherlands, Tel: +32 475 702 383 | E-mail: fdongen@skynet.be
Jean-Luc Mériaux, UECBV, Tel: +32 2 230 46 03 | E-mail: info@uecbv.eu

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