Despite trade dispute, Polish beef producers hope exports to China start 'within weeks'

For the first time, Polish beef is set to be shipped to the Chinese market, with poultry and pork possibly following soon. During this week's visit to Beijing, Polish president Andrej Duda lobbied for his country's steaks and sausages to be exported to China.

However, earlier this week China announced an anti-dumping investigation into imported pork and its by-products in response to EU curbs on its electric vehicle export. Any Chinese tariffs are not expected in the near future, but provisional tariffs on EU imports of electric vehicles are due to take effect on July 4.

Pawel Zakrzewski was one of Poland's first meat producers to apply for an export license to China in November 2023. "China is a very big market... and we can expand the quantities we produce a lot," Zakrzewski told CGTN, while declining to comment on the ongoing trade dispute.

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Polish beef and veal export volume has quadrupled in the past 20 years, according to Dutch agriculture website Agroberichten Buitenland, with around 90 percent of the beef and veal products produced in Poland sold overseas.

The central Eastern European country is already the European Union's largest poultry producer and is looking to use this know-how to increase its beef production. Zakrzewski's family business recently opened its fourth meat plant on Polish territory - creating capacity to expand to new markets like China.

One of his competitors has already completed the export registration. Zakrzewski hopes he can follow and start exporting boneless beef to China within a few weeks. 

"We have to fulfil all the veterinary requirements stated by the Chinese authorities," he told CGTN.

While Poland is importing many goods from China, exports to the People's Republic have been modest. Now Warsaw is hoping Beijing will further open its market to Polish beef, poultry and pork to balance out trade relations.

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