China has released its proposed standards residue limits of hormones in beef.
The move is expected to help open the market to American imports because China’s previous safety standards had zero tolerance for residues of growth hormones in beef, a common practice in the U.S.
Under the new standards, which are being proposed because of the Phase 1 trade deal with the United States, maximum residue limits on Zearanol and Trenbolone Acetate in beef muscle were 2 mg/kg while that number was 1 mg/kg for Melengestrol Acetate.
China’s beef market has grown rapidly in recent years, increasing by 59.7 percent year-over-year in 2019. U.S. beef, however, currently accounts for less than 1 percent of Chinese imports.
Last month, China agreed to lift a ban on beef products from the U.S. on cows more than 30 months old. This was an agreement reached under the Phase 1 Trade Deal between the two nations.
China is the world’s top importer of beef.