New Zealand gains formal access into China for bovine blood products

China has approved formal access for New Zealand bovine blood products into the Chinese market, New Zealand Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy said on Thursday.

Access has been approved by China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) for New Zealand premises to export bovine blood products, such as bovine protein and serum, to China, following successful negotiations between AQSIQ and New Zealand's Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).

"Formal access for New Zealand bovine blood products opens up enormous opportunities for our producers. These products represent a valuable market and we expect our exports will be in significant demand in China," Guy said.

New Zealand now has market access for both finished and semi-finished products, which will mean exporters can attract a price-premium for these higher-value products, likely to be worth at least 50 million NZ dollars (36.28 million U.S. dollars) per year, he said.

"We have an enviable disease status compared with many countries, which means our bovine blood products are widely sought after by a range of markets across the globe," Guy said.

Bovine serum and protein products are used in the animal pharmaceutical industry for manufacturing vaccines, diagnostic kits, laboratory testing media, and a range of specialized products.