China lifts ban on pork imports from Italy

The Government of China has lifted the 17-year-old ban on imports of Italian fresh pork.

Italian pork was banned in China in 1999, over concerns of swine vesicular disease. Italy’s food and agriculture ministry has welcomed the latest move by China.

The European country added that the regions supplying pork, including Liguria, Piedmont and Lombardy are completely free of swine vesicular disease. These regions contribute to 80% of pork production in Itay.

Chinese regulatory body for quality, inspection and quarantine AQSIQ confirmed that the ban on pork imports from nine regions of northern Italy has been lifted.

Italian minister for food and agriculture Maurizio Martina was quoted by just-food.com as saying this is: “a very important result for the protection of our pork industry.

“It is now crucial that we start the operational phase soon and reopen the (export) market for good.”

According to the minister, exports from the European country to China have exceeded €350m ($393m) in the recent years, thereby confirming an increasing interest in Italian food products.

This month, China also lifted an embargo on beef products from the US, which were imposed in 2003 over concerns about bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).