US beef: it'll soon be what's for dinner in China.
Last week the US Department of Agriculture announced that talks have restarted to bring its beef exports back to China and that final details will be ready in early June. Both sides are reportedly in talks to create a mid-July deadline for shipments to begin — July 16, to be exact.
The 13-year-old ban targeted 'American bone-in beef and boneless beef for cattle under 30 months.' It was originally put into place in 2003 during the mad cow disease scare. Prior to the ban, the US was China's largest beef supplier, with around 70 percent of the country's imported beef coming from America.
Back in 2014 we reported the ban would soon be lifted, and in September 2016 the announcement was officially made. But procurement amounts since then have remained low.
READ MORE: How China's Growing Appetite for Meat Affects Us All
China is the world's largest consumer of pork, but the demand for beef is rapidly increasing. The Middle Kingdom recently became the world's second largest beef importer.
Image via That's
US beef's return to China will help American farmers "vie for business that has been lost by rival Brazil," Reuters reports. While Brazil has been China's number one importer for the last few years, its industry has struggled following a tainted meat scandal and subsequent brief ban from China in March.
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