In a July 18 report, United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) analysts explored Chinese imports of dog and cat food of the United States over the past decade. From 2012 to 2022, China’s total dog and cat food imports increased from 10 million US dollars to 672 million US dollars. This rapid growth has made China the fastest growing pet food importer in the world over the past decade. US exports of dog and cat food to China hit a record high of US$264 million in 2022.
“Since the start of the year (January-May 2023), US exports to China have already reached the promising figure of $139 million, more than double the value exported during the same period in 2022” , wrote FAS analysts.
FAS presented data from Euromonitor International showing that China’s dog and cat population has become the largest in the world. The number of pet dogs and cats in China increased from 69 million in 2012 to 186 million in 2022.
US pet food exports will amount to US$2.47 billion in 2022; Canada #1
In 2022, pet food exports by US-based dog, cat and other pet food companies reached a value of 2.47 billion US dollars. The average dollar value of US pet food exports from the United States was US$2.08 billion over the past three years. U.S. pet food exports grew 6.2% between 2013 and 2022. Canada remained at the top of the list of importers, but Chinese pet food imports from the United States increased dramatically in 2022. The FAS released this data earlier this year.
Value of pet food exports by country
- Canada – US$1.12 billion
- China – US$264.15 million
- Mexico – US$177.88 million
- Japan – US$134.9 million
- Australia – US$125.89 million
- European Union – US$64.77 million
- South Korea – US$61.22 million
- Colombia – US$54.81 million
- Philippines – US$52.49 million
- Costa Rica – US$47.98 million
US pet food exports to China in 2022
In 2020, the US-China Phase 1 Economic and Trade Agreement took effect. Following this, US pet food exports to China increased significantly. The United States is now the largest exporter of pet food to China, surpassing Canada. The General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) reported that US pet food exports to China were valued at more than US$304 million in the first eleven months of 2022, an increase of nearly of 200%.
The United States now accounts for 49% of China’s total pet food imports. Additionally, the United States has the largest number of GACC-registered pet food facilities.
On June 15, 2020, a protocol came into force regarding the Phase One U.S.-China Economic and Trade Agreement signed by the two countries in January. The Office of the United States Trade Representative, United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and their Chinese counterparts have reached agreement on certificate language for the entry of U.S. pet food into the Chinese pet food market. This agreement allowed the development of a defined procedure for exporting American pet food to China.