On January 16, the first Chinese official party of French beef was held at the French Embassy in China to celebrate the return of French beef to the Chinese market after 17 years of banning. Li Xiang, French Ambassador in China, Langra, President of the French Animal Husbandry and Meat Association (INTERBEV) , French Health Department and four French enterprises attended the event. Representatives of the General Administration of Customs, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine, the Chinese Meat Association and representatives of importers and distributors participated in the event.
On the same day, China and France signed four strategic cooperation agreements between agencies and enterprises of the two countries to further strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the beef industry. The French Pingner Company and Inner Mongolia Kerchin Cattle Industry signed a commercial cooperation agreement. The French Animal Husbandry and Meat Association and Spring Sowing Technology Company signed a memorandum of cooperation on the marketing and promotion of French beef in commercial channels. The French Animal Husbandry and Meat Association and the Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine Sciences signed a letter of intent for cooperation on traceability and certification of French beef imported from China. The French SVA Group also signed a letter of intent with China Agricultural Products Wholesale Market Holding Co., Ltd. Beef cattle of Charolais and Limousin breeds raised in France have officially entered the Chinese market for sale.
Because of the mad cow disease crisis in Europe and America, China banned the import of beef from 13 countries such as France in 2001. Following the signing of the Protocol on Health and Quarantine Requirements for Beef Delivery to China on June 25, 2018, two French slaughterhouses have been admitted to China, namely Bigard Group, the leading French industry enterprise, and Elivia, the second largest company in the industry. On November 6 last year, the first batch of French beef appeared at the first China International Import Exposition. The first batch of commercial export beef also landed on the "Tmall fresh produce" e-commerce platform that month. France plans to export thousands of tons of beef to the Chinese market in 2019. The annual output of French beef is as high as 1.5 million tons, of which 15% is for export.
