US-China trade war becomes a hog’s dinner, as Beijing considers reducing soybean rations for pigs
Slump in imports of key ingredient of animal feed forces industry group to consider serving up smaller portions
Chinese pigs might soon be dining on a lower protein diet after an industry group recommended reducing the amount of soybeans in their feed to offset rising costs and dwindling supplies as a result of the US-China trade war.
The China Feed Industry Association published a proposal on its website at the end of September suggesting the minimum content of soy meal in hog rations be trimmed down. The meal, which is made from soybeans, is a principal source of crude protein in animal feed.
China imported 87 per cent of its soybean requirement last year, about a third of which came from the United States.
While the proposal, which will remain open for public comment until Monday, did not mention the trade war directly, the association said in a separate statement its aim was to reduce the country’s reliance on foreign suppliers.
“China’s protein feed has long relied on imports, which has become a bottleneck for the feed industry and aquaculture industry,” it said.
The association, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and responsible for setting feed industry standards, declined to comment on the proposal.
Beijing imposed 25 per cent duties on imports of soybeans from the US on July 6 in retaliation for Washington’s punitive tariffs on US$34 billion of goods it imports from China.