CHINA is accused of inflaming Britain’s pig cull crisis by refusing to buy tens of thousands of our pork cuts after throwing a political strop.
Ministers are furious with Beijing for continuing to ban imports from three UK meat factories that had Covid outbreaks months ago.
It’s left British butchers scrambling to sell an extra 160,000 pigs in the UK at greater time and cost.
Repeated Whitehall requests for China to reverse the embargo have been snubbed.
The UK side now believes the real reason for stubborness is Chinese grudge-bearing over Hong Hong.
Boris Johnson is allowing as many as five million Hong Kongers to come to Britain on new special visas after creeping Chinese encroachment on their freedoms.
A government insider involved in the row told Trending In The News: “This really boils down to geopolitics, particularly Hong Kong.
“China is upset that we’ve dared to welcome the Hong Kong people to our country and they’re cross with us.
“The pork is just collateral damage.”
Ministers are angry as it’s exacerbating the abattoir staffing crisis that’s seen thousands of pigs needlessly culled.
While pork sent to China is easily sliced into several slabs, ones for British shops need to be finely cut into chops and bacon rashers meaning butchers are toiling for longer.
The General Administration of Customs China has stonewalled requests from both Whitehall’s Food and Trade departments to scrub the three meat factories in Norfolk, Ashton-under-Lyne and Angus in Scotland from their blacklist.
Sam Armstrong of the Henry Jackson Society said: “The Chinese Communist Party is clearly looking for any and all opportunities to punish Britain following our brave decision to welcome Hong Kong heroes for democracy to our shores.
“Politicians must not be swayed by Chinese aggression and continue to champion our values as the CCP seeks to undermine them.”
