French Pork Gets Go-Ahead for Trade with Australia

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 19:05:56 GMT

France has obtained final approval for exporting pork to Australia, adding a new potential trade outlet for a sector that has faced fluctuating demand from top importer China.

After years of discussions over sanitary certification, the Australian market was formally opened on Thursday to French pork, the French agriculture ministry and meat industry association Culture Viande said in separate statements.

France joins other pork exporters like Denmark and the United States in gaining access to the Australian market, which represents about 200,000 metric tons of imports per year, Culture Viande said in a statement.

The import approval comes as Australia discusses a possible trade agreement with the European Union, of which France is the biggest agricultural producer. Talks stalled in July, partly over the issue of greater market access for Australian farm products like beef.

Australia’s Trade Minister Don Farrell told Reuters on Thursday that the EU could invest in his country’s vast critical minerals sector but needed to make a better offer in the trade talks.

European pork exports have been curbed by erratic demand from China, outbreaks of African swine fever in Europe and a drop in EU production amid rising costs.

(Reporting by Gus Trompiz; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

Don't Call it Meat if it's Made with Plants, France Decides

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 18:44:12 GMT

France will ban from October the use of meat names like “steak” and “sausage” on plant-based protein food, according to a decree published on Thursday, in a bid to avoid confusion over the trendy meat alternatives.

France is the first country in the European Union to impose such a restriction. In 2020, EU lawmakers rejected a similar proposal, backed by farmers.

The market for plant-based meat-like food has surged, attracting major investment from global agrifood groups hoping to capitalise on a trend towards healthy eating, including less red meat.

“It will not be possible to use sector-specific terminology traditionally associated with meat and fish to designate products that do not belong to the animal world and which, in essence, are not comparable,” the official decree reads.

The regulation only applies to products made in France, and the country’s largest farm lobby FNSEA said it did not go far enough as it left the door open to imports.

French meat industry association Interbev welcomed the implementation of the law initially adopted in 2020, just after the end of the pandemic lockdown.

“This provision is a first step on French territory, a pioneer in the protection of its names, which should be extended at European level,” it said in a statement.

Terms like “milk”, “butter” and “cheese” are already banned at the European level on products that are not of animal origin.

The word “burger” used by many brands including U.S. firms Beyond Meat BYND.O, Impossible Foods and Restaurant Brands International Inc’s QSR.TO Burger King to attract consumers, would still be allowed as it does not specifically refer to meat, an Interbev spokesperson said.

Angel investors, venture capitalists, as well as increased investments from agrifood giants such as Cargill CARG.UL, Danone DANO.PA and Nestle NESN.S, have helped boost growth to 19% per year for the next five years, according to ResearchAndMarkets.

EU lawmakers vote for ‘veggie burgers’, take hard line on dairy labels.

(Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Lisa Shumaker)

More from Farm Journal’s PORK:

Where Do Alternative Proteins Fit in the U.S. Market?