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Nearly 120,000 tonnes of imported pork a year goes into dumplings, meat buns, pork chops, pork leg rice and braised pork intestines

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Where does nearly 120,000 tonnes of imported pork a year go? You can find it in dumplings, meat buns, pork chops, pork leg rice and braised pork intestines

Text by Upstream/Downstream reporters Yang Yuyun and Lin Yijun

The government will open up imports of US ractopamine pork (pork from pigs fed leanness-enhancing drugs) starting New Year's Day next year, triggering backlash from pig farmers and consumers. Although the government says imported pork does not taste as good as Taiwanese pork, that it is not worried about competition, and that it will require clear labelling to protect the public's right to know, even before ractopamine pork enters the country, Taiwan already imports nearly 120,000 tonnes of pork (including offal) every year, which is made into products such as dumplings, meat buns, pork chops, pork leg rice and braised pork intestines, and most people in the country cannot tell the difference.

Once US ractopamine pork is imported in the future, what foods might it be used in? The government says that even street food stalls and night markets will have to label the meat source of pork products in the future; is that realistically feasible? Upstream/Downstream interviewed leading figures in the frozen meat and imported meat industry as well as people in the domestic pig industry to provide in-depth explanation and analysis. At the request of interviewees, some names in this article are pseudonyms.

Imported pork may appear in all kinds of pork chops, pork leg rice and other foods. (Photo by Yang Yuyun)

Taiwan imports about 120,000 tonnes of frozen pork a year; hind leg, shoulder and loin rank first, pig trotters second

According to statistics from the Council of Agriculture, domestic pork consumption is 900,000 metric tonnes per year. In 2019, about 118,060 metric tonnes of pork were imported, of which about 90,000 metric tonnes was frozen pork, and offal (rectum, casings, pork hock, pig bones, etc.) accounted for more than 20,000 metric tonnes.

Statistics show that imported pork has been rising year by year, nearly doubling since 2010. The largest category by share is "frozen boneless pork hind leg meat, shoulder meat, tenderloin, large loin and cuts thereof," with imports of 52,049 metric tonnes in 2019. You Jinke, chairman of the Changhua County Pig Farming Association, explained that the largest use of imported meat is processed meat products, including dumplings, wontons and meat buns made by food factories. Tenderloin, loin and similar cuts can be used in dishes such as pork chops.

Second place goes to "frozen pig trotters (including front and hind leg hock and shank meat) and diaphragm," with imports of 19,000 metric tonnes, which can be used for braised pork hock, pork leg rice and various other foods.

The average price of imported pork is low, and the price of US pork hind leg meat is shockingly lower still

The top three sources of frozen pork (including offal) imports are Canada, the United States and Spain. The average import price of Canadian frozen pork (excluding offal) is NT$61.28 per kilogram (the largest imported cuts are hind leg meat, shoulder and loin; China's tariff does not distinguish between cuts, so the price is calculated as a composite).

However, according to information provided by the domestic pig farming industry, the current bulk wholesale price of hind leg meat in Taiwan is about NT$110 per kilogram, tenderloin is NT$100, and loin is NT$140, a gap of nearly 30 to 40 percent compared with import prices (pork prices fluctuate with the seasons).

The import price of US pork last year was NT$78 per kilogram. At first glance the price is not low; however, because China's tariff statistics combine hind leg meat, shoulder, loin and other cuts with different prices, it is impossible to confirm which cuts most imported US pork currently consists of. But according to pork prices published by the US Department of Agriculture, converted to the price on arrival in Taiwan (including freight and tariffs), the average price is only NT$62.87 per kilogram.

In addition, US pork is quoted in four categories, including Loins, Bellies, Hams (hind leg meat) and Trimmings (trimmed meat with 72% fat content), and prices vary greatly between them. Hind leg meat is the lowest priced of these. At the lower end of the price range, it arrives in Taiwan at only NT$35 per kilogram (including tariffs and freight); calculated at the high end, the duty-paid price on arrival in Taiwan is at most NT$50 per kilogram. Compared with the price of Taiwanese hind leg meat (bulk wholesale price) of NT$110-120 per kilogram, the gap is astonishing.

Hind leg meat is low in fat and is mostly used for processing; it can be made into minced meat, shredded pork, pork thick soup, and dumplings, meat buns and so on. If large quantities of US pork are shipped to Taiwan in the future, close attention must be paid to the import volume and destination of hind leg meat.

Imported pork goes into pork leg rice, but offal is actually nothing to worry about

Mr Chen (pseudonym), a meat importer, said the Taiwanese market is very shallow, and imports only make up for insufficient domestic supply. Pork is a futures commodity, and the tug-of-war between demand and supply naturally causes price fluctuations. "Our principle for importing is simple: we just look at whether there is domestic demand and whether imports are cheap." Taking pig hind legs and pork hock as examples, imported pig hind legs are made into pork leg rice, and imported pork hock is one of the familiar dishes on Chinese New Year menus. "Imported pork hock is NT$30-40 per kilogram cheaper than domestic," he said.

Taking offal, which people in the country worry about, as an example, Mr Chen said that Taiwan's domestically produced pig liver and pig kidney (kidney) currently have a surplus every year. "If 300 sets out of 1,000 can be sold, meat sellers are very happy; the rest all go to feed." Therefore, people in the country need not worry that after New Year's Day next year, pig liver and pig kidney will be mixed into the consumer market.

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