On March 18, 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) released a voluntary report through its Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN), shedding light on the latest developments in U.S. agricultural exports to China. Titled “USA Dairy Pork and Poultry Registrations Renewed while Beef Remains Overdue” (Report Number: CH2025-0056), the report highlights a significant update in the registration status of U.S. facilities exporting dairy, pork, poultry, and beef to one of the world’s largest agricultural markets. While the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) has renewed registrations for numerous dairy, pork, and poultry establishments, the beef sector continues to face delays, raising concerns among American ranchers and agribusinesses.
Renewed Registrations Bring Relief to Dairy, Pork, and Poultry Sectors
The report details that on March 15 and 17, 2025, GACC extended facility registrations by five years for approximately 14 U.S. dairy, 210 U.S. poultry, and 365 U.S. pork establishments. These facilities listed as “overdue” or were approaching that status by early April 2025. The renewals were executed seamlessly, ensuring no gaps in export eligibility. For instance, even facilities that became overdue on February 19 were retroactively covered, allowing products manufactured during the overdue period to remain eligible for export to China.
This timely action by GACC provides a lifeline to these sectors, which collectively exported $2.2 billion worth of goods to China in 2024. Specifically, pork exports reached $1.1 billion, poultry $0.5 billion, and dairy $0.6 billion, making China the third-largest market for each of these U.S. agricultural categories. The renewals avert potential disruptions in trade and reassure exporters who rely on the Chinese market to sustain their operations.
| Commodity | 2022 (MT) | 2023 (MT) | 2024 (MT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pork & Pork Products | 589,321 | 512,467 | 467,228 |
| Beef & Beef Products | 211,875 | 195,632 | 179,464 |
| Dairy Products | 421,583 | 403,917 | 385,485 |
Beef Exports in Limbo: A Growing Concern
In stark contrast, the report underscores a troubling delay for U.S. beef exports. As of March 18, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. CST, GACC has not updated the registration status for approximately 386 of the 654 U.S. establishments authorized to export beef and beef products to China. These facilities remain listed as “overdue” on GACC’s CIFER (Registration Information of Overseas Manufacturers of Imported Food) system, despite requests from the USDA to extend their expiry dates.
This inaction threatens a significant segment of U.S. agricultural trade. In 2024, the United States exported $1.6 billion in beef to China, ranking it as the third-largest destination for American beef producers. The ongoing delay introduces uncertainty for exporters, now urged to verify their CIFER status, consult with competent authorities, and collaborate closely with importers to mitigate commercial risks. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) continues to certify beef products as eligible for export under the U.S.-China Phase One Agreement, but without GACC’s reciprocal action, these certifications may not translate into market access.
A Follow-Up to Earlier Warnings
This report builds on an earlier FAS China GAIN report from February 25, 2025 (CH2024-0040), titled “Exporter Alert – Lack of Response by China Customs on Establishment Registrations Creates Challenges for United States Protein Exports.” The February alert warned of GACC’s sluggish response to registration renewals across multiple protein sectors, a situation that has partially resolved for dairy, pork, and poultry but persists for beef. The ongoing disparity suggests that non-tariff barriers—beyond mere administrative delays—may continue to hinder U.S. agricultural exports to China.
The USDA emphasizes that these reports are assessments by its staff, not official U.S. government policy statements. Nonetheless, they serve a critical role in supporting American farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses by providing actionable insights into global trade dynamics.
Economic Implications and Industry Response
China is a top-tier market for U.S. agricultural products. In 2024, it absorbed billions in exports across dairy, pork, poultry, and beef, bolstering rural economies and agribusiness operations across the United States. The renewal of registrations for dairy, pork, and poultry facilities ensures continuity for these industries, but the beef sector’s predicament could ripple through supply chains, affecting producers, processors, and exporters alike.
Exporters are now navigating a complex landscape. The report advises them to monitor their registration status via the CIFER system and the FSIS Export Library for China, while maintaining open lines of communication with importers. For FSIS-regulated products like meat and poultry, exporters directed to contact James Chisholm at [email protected] for assistance. General inquiries can be sent to [email protected].
Broader Trade Challenges
The report subtly points to “additional non-tariff barriers” that disadvantage U.S. meat, poultry, and dairy exports to China. While it does not elaborate on these barriers, they could include stringent sanitary and phytosanitary requirements, import quotas. Other regulatory hurdles that have long complicated U.S.-China agricultural trade. The Phase One Agreement, signed in January 2020, aimed to ease such tensions by securing market access commitments from China. But implementation has been uneven, as evidenced by the current beef registration delays.
Looking Ahead
The mixed outcomes detailed in this report reflect the broader complexities of U.S.-China agricultural trade. For dairy, pork, and poultry exporters, the renewals offer stability and a chance to build on their 2024 successes. For beef, however, the lack of progress signals a need for heightened vigilance and possibly diplomatic intervention to resolve inaction.
As of today, March 19, 2025, the situation remains fluid. The USDA and FAS China will likely continue monitoring developments, providing updates to ensure that American agriculture remains competitive in the global marketplace. For now, exporters left to balance opportunity with uncertainty, a familiar dynamic in the ever-evolving U.S.-China trade relationship.
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