China, the world's largest meat importer, said on Tuesday (23.06.2020) that a Brazilian beef exporter and a pork plant in Britain had voluntarily suspended exports due to coronavirus infections.
Many meat-exporting countries, such as Brazil and the United States, have seen thousands of cases of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus, among meat plant workers.
Agra Agroindustrial Foods SA of BrazilIt has voluntarily halted beef exports to China following a virus infection in its workforce, the General Administration of Customs said on its website.
In a separate statement on its Weibo social media account, the department added that Britain's Tulip had voluntarily suspended all pork exports from its Tipton plant in West Midlands due to a virus outbreak.
China has stepped up inspections of meat imports after a new cluster of virus infections in Beijing was linked to the capital's massive Xinfadi wholesale food market.
Beijing has begun testing meat, seafood and fresh produce, and some major Chinese ports have opened all meat and seafood containers for virus testing.
Last week, Chinese customs asked food exporters for signed declarations that their products were free of virus contamination.
On Sunday, China said it had suspended poultry imports from a U.S.-based Tyson Inc (TSN.N) meat plant, after earlier halting pork products from German processor Toennies.
China's meat imports in the first five months of 2020 soared by 73,4% in the year to 3,85 million tonnes.
The world's top pork consumer imported a record monthly volume of 400,000 tonnes in April as domestic output plummeted after an outbreak of African swine fever hit its pig herd in late 2018.
Source: Reuters
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