Chinese imports of pork meat and offal reached 1,44 million tonnes between January and September of 2026, representing a decrease of 15,3 % compared with the same period of 2025, when 1,70 million tonnes were imported, according to the data analyzed.

The decline is mainly explained by the decline in meat purchases, which fell from 780.000 tonnes in the first nine months of 2025 to 570.000 tonnes in 2026, representing a drop of 26,9 %. Meanwhile, imports of pork offal showed greater stability, although they also declined. Between January and September of 2026, they stood at 870.000 tonnes, compared with 920.000 tonnes in the same period of the previous year, a decrease of 5,4 %.

Compared with January–September of 2020, when meat and offal purchases between January and September reached 4,32 million tonnes, the volume imported so far this year is 66,7 % lower. The decline has been particularly sharp for meat, whose imports have fallen by 82,6 % compared with 2020, while those of offal have decreased by 16,3 %.

Evolución de las importaciones chinas de carne de cerdo y despojos, en toneladas, durante enero a septiembre de cada año. Fuente: 333, a partir de datos de la Administración General de Supervisión de Aduanas de China. Evolution of Chinese imports of pork and offal, in tonnes, from January to September of each year. Source: 333, based on data from the General Administration of Customs of China.

Changes in Chinese demand for pork

Developments in recent years show a transformation in Chinese import demand, with offal gaining a larger share of imports. So far this year, offal has come to represent 60,4 % of the total volume imported, compared with 54,1 % recorded in the same period of 2025.

This change is even more significant when compared with 2020. In the first nine months of 2020, meat accounted for approximately 75,8 % of the total volume imported by China, while offal accounted for 24,2 %. Six years later,the situation has reversed: between January and September of 2026, meat accounts for only 39,6 % of imports, compared with 60,4 % for offal. Thus, meat’s share of Chinese pork imports has decreased by 36,2 percentage points since 2020.

22 October 2026 / Editorial staff 333 based on data from the General Administration of Customs of China.