COUNTRY PROFILE FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE January 2026 75 modern consumer preferences are driving an increased demand for beef, poultry, and seafood. According to data from Rabobank, per capita meat consumption in the country—which stood at 35 kilograms in the mid-1990s—has more than doubled, reaching 72 kilograms as of 2023. National Bureau of Statistics of China also indicates that total red meat and poultry production reached 96.63 million tons in 2024, representing a 0.2% increase. This explosion in demand has facilitated the livestock sector's transformation from traditional, small-scale “backyard” farming into massive, technology-driven, and capital-intensive industrial complexes with vertical integration. Pork and the Swine Sector Pork is the absolute dominant force in China’s food security and agricultural economy. The country alone accounts for approximately 50% of global pork consumption. However, 2024 has been a challenging period for the sector. Following three years of steady growth, pork production fell for the first time in 2024, decreasing by 1.5% to 57.06 million tons. The deep financial losses experienced in 2023 and the disease outbreaks seen at the end of the year are cited as the primary reasons behind this contraction in the sector. According to the USDA’s report titled Livestock and Products Semi-Annual, Chinese pork producers recorded their largest annual losses since 2014 in 2023. This situation led to the liquidation of herds and a planned reduction in the breeding sow inventory in 2024. Beef and Dairy Sector In China, the beef and dairy sectors are highly interconnected, in contrast to the U.S. model. In 2024, beef production increased by 3.5% to reach 7.79 million tonnes. However, this increase does not reflect healthy sector growth; rather, it is driven by the diversion of female cattle and dairy cows into the beef market due to the ongoing crisis in the dairy sector. The dairy sector entered a “production at a loss” period in 2024. Continuous declines in raw milk prices combined with weak domestic consumption have caused more than 80% of dairy farming enterprises to operate at a loss. This economic pressure has led to the early slaughter of dairy cows, creating deflationary pressure on beef prices. To stabilize beef and mutton production, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) has announced subsidies for feed conversion and quality improvement projects. In terms of live cattle imports, a dramatic decline was observed at the beginning of 2025. In the first five months of 2025, live cattle imports fell by 65% compared to the same period of the previous year, dropping to 14,000 head. This situation reflects the extremely cautious approach of domestic producers toward new investments and capacity expansion.
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