Zero-Tariff Access To China ‘Would Unleash Tremendous Benefits’ For U.S. Pork, Agriculture

The worst kept secret in the world is that China needs pork. The protein is a staple of the Chinese diet and a major element of the country’s consumer price index. However, more than half of the country’s swine herd has been lost as a result of African swine fever, a disease affecting only pigs with no human health or food safety risks. China represents an unparalleled opportunity for U.S. pork producers to provide the safest, highest quality and most affordable pork in the world. If U.S. pork gained unrestricted access to China, it would be an economic boon for American agriculture and the country, HOTH reports.

 

According to an analysis by Iowa State University Economist Dermot Hayes, securing zero-tariff access to China would reduce the overall trade deficit with China by nearly six percent, generate 184,000 new U.S. jobs and produce $24.5 billion in sales, all in the next decade. NPPC has launched a digital campaign to spotlight the importance of opening the Chinese market to U.S. pork as trade negotiations continue.

 

The United States is the lowest-cost producer of pork in the world, but with 72 percent tariffs into China, U.S. pork producers are not nearly as competitive as Europe, Brazil, Canada and other nations. Zero-tariff access to China would yield tremendous benefits.

 

 

Video: 2026 T.K. Cheung Lecture in Animal Science - Dan Weary

T.K. Cheung Lecture in Animal Science: "Using science to assess and improve the welfare of dairy cattle"

Dan Weary is a Professor at the University of British Columbia. Dan did his BSc and MSc at McGill and Doctorate at Oxford before co-founding UBC’s Animal Welfare Program where he now co-directs this active research group. His research focuses on understanding the perspectives of animals and applying these insights to develop methods of assessing animal welfare and improving the lives of animals. His work has helped drive changes in practices (including the adoption of higher milk rations for calves and pain management for disbudding) and housing methods (including the adoption of social housing for pre-weaned calves). He also studies cow comfort and lameness, social interactions among cows, and interactions between cows, human handlers and technologies like automated millking systems that are increasingly used on farms. His presentation will outline key questions in cattle welfare, highlight recent UBC research addressing them, and showcase innovative methods for improving the lives of cattle and their caretakers.