Photo: Geralyn Wichers

China wants slimmer pigs

Chinese government cracking down on speculative “refattening” practice

Chinese farmers and small firms have increasingly bought market-ready pigs from larger breeders and fattened them in a bet on higher prices, but the government is cracking down on the speculative practice to slim down hogs and stabilize the market.


Charles de Pellette, Operations Director of the restaurant, poses for a picture next to U.S. beef and pork in a smokehouse, at Home Plate BBQ, an American-style restaurant, in Beijing, China April 17, 2025.  Photo: Reuters/Tiffany Le

US beef off the menu as the trade war hits Beijing’s American-style restaurants

US beef exports to China worth $125 million a month at risk

Beijing | Reuters – At Home Plate BBQ, an American-style restaurant in Beijing, staff are reprinting menus. The U.S.-China trade war means American beef – once the star ingredient – will soon be off the table. Home Plate’s beef, previously sourced entirely from the U.S., is increasingly Australian. The restaurant uses about 7 to 8 […] Read more