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China allowed export registrations for U.S. meat plants to lapse

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China renews registrations for pork, poultry plants, groups say

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Exporters hope Beijing renews U.S. beef plants soon

(Adds details in paragraph 2, 10)

By Mei Mei Chu and Tom Polansek

BEIJING/CHICAGO, March 17 (Reuters) - Beijing has renewed registrations that allow hundreds of U.S. pork and poultry facilities to export to China, industry groups said on Monday, after lapses threatened shipments to the world's largest meat importer.

Chinese customs website showed that registrations were renewed until 2030, but those for hundreds of U.S. beef facilities remain listed as "expired".

The renewals for poultry and pork are a relief to U.S. farmers and meat companies as they navigate trade disputes with major agricultural importers, including China and Canada, under President Donald Trump.

Beijing requires food exporters to register with customs to sell products in China.

Shipments continued to clear customs from facilities with lapsed registrations, but U.S. exporters were unsure how long that would last.

China's customs website earlier showed registrations for more than 1,000 U.S. meat plants granted by China under the 2020 "Phase 1" trade deal lapsed on Sunday. That was roughly two-thirds of all those registered.

The trade deal ended the previous U.S.-China trade war with a pledge from Beijing to boost its purchases of U.S. goods and services, including meat, by $200 billion over two years. China did not reach the target, which was agreed shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The agency previously said China did not respond to repeated requests to renew plant registrations, potentially violating the Phase 1 agreement.

"We're pleased to see progress on the pork facilities and hoping for similar news on beef as soon as possible," said Joe Schuele, spokesman for the U.S. Meat Export Federation.

The non-renewal for beef plants comes amid Beijing's attempt to rein in beef imports as it grapples with an oversupplied market.

Beijing imposed retaliatory tariffs on some $21 billion worth of American farm goods this month, including 10% duties on U.S. pork, beef and dairy.

In 2024, the U.S. was China's third-largest meat supplier by volume, trailing Brazil and Argentina and accounting for 9% of China's total meat imports. U.S. meat shipments to China reached $2.5 billion last year, making it the second largest exporter by value.

Exports of U.S. poultry products have suffered due to outbreaks of bird flu, but China remains an important market, Tyler said.

"We needed that market to stay open and these renewals were very important to that," he said.

(Reporting by Ella Cao, Mei Mei Chu in Beijing and Tom Polansek in Chicago; Editing by Lincoln Feast, Himani Sarkar and Marguerita Choy)