The pork processing business began supplying China from its UK operations after a trade mission in 2011 netted the signing of a landmark deal between the UK and China in 2012, worth around £50m.
Tulip said it had since invested around £22m upgrading two facilities in Ashton and Spalding, and planned to spend a further £15m making improvements at its Westerleigh site. It claimed the increased investment would enable the company to increase its exports to China from 12,000t in 2013 to 15,000t over 2014.
Chris Thomas, Tulip chief executive, said: “We are all very excited by the opportunity the Chinese market offers the Tulip business. We already export over 41,000 t of pigmeat globally, but we see potential for enormous future growth in the Chinese market. As the UK’s leading pork processor, we are extremely well placed to make the most of upcoming opportunities.
“We have invested, and are continuing to invest, in our UK processing operation to meet the demands of our ambitious growth plans for our export business. We believe this will allow additional facilities to gain approval from China during 2014.”