China’s General Administration of Customs has granted five-year registration extensions to more than 400 U.S. beef facilities — 425 to be exact — that had been sitting in limbo in China’s food import system. On top of that, 77 brand-new U.S. beef establishment registrations took effect today, May 15th, each valid for five years.
Not every facility is back in business, though. 38 establishments remain suspended. Of those, 25 had also expired registrations — those have now been renewed — but those facilities still cannot export to China.
The U.S. Meat Export Federation is calling this a major step forward. President and CEO Dan Halstrom says the organization greatly appreciates U.S. beef access being prioritized at the recent summit between President Trump and President Xi — and says renewal of these registrations is, quote, a critical step forward for U.S. beef exports to China. Halstrom also noted appreciation for U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Greer’s optimism on U.S. agricultural trade with China, while saying the Federation is still awaiting more details from the U.S. government.
The timing of the announcement is significant. China’s massive SIAL food show opens this weekend in Shanghai — and American beef producers are hoping to be part of the conversation.
