China-Australia relations: Beijing bans beef exporter with ‘mislabelling’ track record
- China’s General Administration of Customs said on Monday it was no longer accepting beef exports from Queensland abattoir Meramist
- Customs data shows company had run into compliance issues over mismatched cargo certificates and mislabelling before ban
A sixth Australian meat processor banned by China from exporting to the country had a history of compliance issues, including mislabelling and shipment errors, Chinese customs data shows, as Australian farmers brace for a further hit to business amid ongoing diplomatic tensions.
China’s General Administration of Customs said on Monday it was no longer accepting beef exports from Queensland abattoir Meramist.
Authorities did not provide a reason for the ban, but data obtained by the South China Morning Post shows a batch of frozen boneless beef processed by Meramist was stopped at Shanghai port in June for mismatched cargo certificates.
Trade sources also said another shipment of meat processed by Meramist was detained in Nanjing Port in late October over mislabelling.
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