Major Progress on Beef Trade at U.S.-China Summit

On Friday, May 15, China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC) granted a five-year registration extension to 425 overdue U.S. beef establishments in China’s Food Import Food Establishment (CIFER) system – a critical step toward restoring market access for U.S. beef. Additionally, 77 new U.S. beef establishment registrations were added to the CIFER system, with registrations valid for five years. While some U.S. beef establishments remain suspended from exporting to China, a White House fact sheet posted on Sunday states that China will work with U.S. regulators to lift all suspensions of U.S. beef facilities.

U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and CEO Dan Halstrom offers more details on these developments in the attached audio report, thanking the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. Department of Agriculture for prioritizing beef access in last week’s summit meeting between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Halstrom emphasizes that this is tremendous news for the U.S. beef industry and for customers in China who are anxious to resume imports. He adds that access to China also enhances the value of similar cuts the U.S. industry exports to other Asian markets such as Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

For more information, visit www.usmef.org.