Livestock feed imports rise in China

Animal feed imports in China are rising as demand for protein in the country continues to grow, according to figures released by the US State Department of Agriculture (USDA).

These figures are largely due to an increase in commercial livestock operations, according to Fred Gale, senior economist and James Hansen, agricultural economist at USDA.

“Tightening rural labor markets, disease issues and other factors have pushed China’s livestock sector away from family farming to larger operations relying on commercial feed,” according to the USDA website.

“The shift away from family farming has led to a surge in imports of soybeans and feed ingredients, and USDA baseline projections point to an acceleration of that trend.”

Projections also indicate that while China is producing nearly all of its own meat products, demand is set to outstrip supply due to “rising costs, disease, environmental regulations and resource constraints”.