Romania to relaunch pork exports to China
The Romanian Ministry said it had obtained an official letter from the Chinese Certification and Accreditation Authority, in which the office approved the registration of the first Romanian meat company in the local market, Smithfield Romania.
“With this decision, after [the company] is listed on the website of China’s Sanitary and Veterinary Authority, we can begin to export pork meat to the People’s Republic of China,” the Ministry said in a statement.
Romania’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Daniel Constantin said the latest deal marked a significant step in expanding the presence of Romanian pork in foreign markets.
“China’s decision to import pork from Romania is a great achievement for the Romanian economy, as, since 2012, we have made efforts together with the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority to open the possibility of exporting pork to a market which is as important as the Chinese,” Constantin said. “Therefore, consider the launching of exports to the Chinese market as a great opportunity for Romania.”
On 6 June 2014 the two governments signed a memorandum of understanding regarding animal health and food safety during an official visit to Romania by Han Changfu, China’s Minister of Agriculture. The agreement paved the way for negotiations, which enabled the relaunch of pork meat exports to the Chinese market, according to the Romanian Ministry.
Smithfield Romania is part of China’s WH Group. In 2014, the group acquired US firm Smithfield, which is the largest pork processor and hog producer in the world, according to the Chinese conglomerate. Under the brand of Smithfield, the meat company produces a wide range of fresh pork and packaged meat products and sells them in the US, China, Japan, Mexico, Russia and Canada.
Smithfield Romania has been present in the local meat market since 2004. The company operates a slaughterhouse fitted with a capacity of about 600 head per hour, according to data released from the Timisoara-based firm.
