The milestone is the culmination of several years of site inspections and negotiations between UK and Chinese government officials. It allows official market access negotiations to begin, a process which typically takes around three years.
NFU livestock board chairman Richard Findlay said:
“This is clearly very positive news for British beef producers, who now have the opportunity to supply one of the biggest markets in the world.
“However, we have to remember this announcement is the start of negotiations to secure access to the demanding Chinese market. The NFU will support and work with government, AHDB and industry to deliver access for the beef sector as soon as practically possible.
“British beef is produced to some of the highest production and animal welfare standards in the world and as we look ahead to life outside of the EU, this is an important step to taking the British brand to new markets.”
China is currently the UK’s eighth largest export market for agri-food, with over £560 million worth of food and drink bought by Chinese consumers last year.
This week's announcement follows a successful inspection visit in April 2018 hosted by Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency, the Food Standards Agency, Food Standards Scotland, DAERA, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and the UK Export Certification Partnership.