China's poultry exports to EU hits record high

JINAN -- China's poultry meat exports to the European Union (EU) hit a six-year high in April after the EU started granting more low-tariff quotas on April 1.

As the only Chinese province which exports poultry meat to the EU, Shandong exported 4,097 tonnes of poultry products, worth 100 million yuan (14.5 million US dollars), marking an year-on-year increase of 32.2 percent and 48 percent, respectively.

The figures are the highest since February 2013, according to Qingdao Customs.

Meanwhile, poultry export enterprises in Shandong will receive training in various aspects, including breeding, slaughtering and hot processing, in order to meet the requirements of importing countries.

The EU had agreed to grant more low-tariff quotas to Chinese poultry meat, including the quotas for 5,000 tonnes of chicken meat and 6,600 tonnes of duck meat.

China's poultry exports to the EU had been subdued for years, as the EU refused to offer significant low-tariff quotas for Chinese poultry meat after outbreaks of bird flu in Asia between 2006 and 2008.

China filed a complaint to the World Trade Organization (WTO) against the EU over high poultry tariffs in April 2015, putting forth a consultation request and formally starting WTO dispute settlement procedures.

In April 2017, the WTO ruled that EU's poultry tariff quota management had violated its rules. More than a year later, China and the EU reached a final agreement on the new tariff quotas.