China beefs up food security again with yet another ban on Australian meat imports

Chinese customs have moved to suspend imports from Teys Naracoorte facility in South Australia; the plant recently had a Covid-19 outbreak

It’s 10th abattoir to stop exports to China since May 2020, after Canberra pushed for probe into coronavirus origins without consulting Beijing

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A supermarket fridge missing most of its usual meat products in Sydney, Australia, last month, when a spike in Covid-19 infections caused major logistical disruption. Now China has suspended imports from yet another Australian meat processing plant. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 4:00am, 2 Feb 2022Updated: 5:35am, 2 Feb 2022

China has suspended imports from yet another Australian meat processing facility, this one hit by a high-profile coronavirus outbreak.

China customs said on Friday it would stop beef coming in from the south Australian plant Teys Naracoorte from January 29, but did not give a reason for the decision.

It is the tenth Australian abattoir to cease meat exports to China since May 2020, with three of the suspensions, including the latest, apparently related to Covid-19.

A man walks past an advert promoting imported beef from Australia in Beijing in November 2020. China stirred controversy with claims it had detected the coronavirus on packages of imported frozen food. Photo: AP

Customs data showed the authorities in Shanghai prevented about 15,000kg of what was described as defective frozen boneless beef from the Australian firm’s Queensland sister plant, Teys Biloela, entering China in November.

Last month there were 140 Covid-19 infections reported at the Naracoorte plant. It closed its doors two weeks ago then resumed work a few days later, saying no one was forced to work with Covid-19 amid media reports alleging management asked employees who tested positive to carry on unless they felt unwell.

The latest suspension of meat imports comes amid continued bilateral tension between China and Australia as well as China’s own strict policies to try to deal with the pandemic, including tougher inspection protocols at its borders.

Australian beef in a Beijing supermarket in May 2020. China suspended imports from four major Australian beef suppliers that month, not long after Beijing’s ambassador warned of a consumer boycott in retaliation for Canberra’s push to probe the origins of the coronavirus. Photo: AFP

China has previously been concerned Covid-19 was being brought into China via food or packaging from overseas.

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