China-EU cooked chicken trade grows slowly

From January to May 2009, 1,752 tons of cooked chicken products worth US$5.4 million were exported from China to the European Union, shown in the latest statistics from China’s Ministry of Commerce.
During the first five months of 2009, China’s actual exports of cooked chicken products failed to reach its expected amounts, due to strong competition from Thailand and weak demand during the global recession, said Huang Haiqian, analyst at Beijing-based China Chamber of Commerce of Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce & Animal By-Products.
By last September, China’s cooked poultry products were not allowed to enter the EU market. As a result, domestic exporters, who were unfamiliar with the inspection system in the EU, had to slow down their exports, added Huang.
Currently, only nine producers from Shandong province are allowed to export cooked chicken products to the EU, and their exports account for less than 10% of China’s total exports of cooked chicken products, according to Huang.