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Belgium is a Member State of the European Union (EU) and applies the certification requirements described in the European Union Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards (FAIRS) Certification Report. Products not yet harmonized are subject to Belgian national rules.

U.S. exporters of composite products will face new documentary requirements for shipments to the European Union after January 15, 2022. The new requirements are broken down into three categories of composite products: non-shelf stable, shelf stable with meat, and shelf stable without meat.

The Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) in Beijing coordinated with FAS Trade Missions and Shows to conduct "Snack and Relax!", a hybrid Virtual Market Showcase for U.S. snack and craft beer products from December 14 to 16, 2021 (China Standard Time). Despite extraordinary obstacles in the form of sudden, stringent COVID-19 control measures on hotel conference centers and 48-hour nucleic acid test requirements for all in-person attendees, the three-day event hosted 106 one-on-one meetings that connected 16 U.S. exhibitors with 24 buyer companies in China.

On January 27, 2022, the Turkish government published a regulation (2022/1) that granted the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MinAF) the authority to restrict the export of twenty (20) agricultural products in order to decrease domestic food inflation.

U.S. beef exports into the EU’s High Quality Beef (HQB) quota had a hard time in 2021 as they suffered from the repeated closures of the EU hospitality sector from COVID-19. EU imports of U.S. beef decreased substantially after the end-of-year 2020 holiday season and only gradually increased throughout 2021 again

Hungary is a member of the European Union (EU) and follows EU directives and regulations, including those relating to the importation of food products. This report provides an overview of food laws in force in Hungary that cover areas that are not yet harmonized.

Hungary, as a member of the European Union (EU), applies EU regulations to the imports of agricultural products. U.S. export certification requirements for most products destined for the EU have been harmonized. Products not yet harmonized are subject to national regulations.

FAS and the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) in China worked together to educate, train, and promote Chinese breweries on how to use U.S. craft beer ingredients including hops and barely malts. Although U.S. hops and barley malts are priced higher than competitors, brewers have increasingly sought out U.S. ingredients for their high quality and stable supply.

On January 18, 2022, the European Commission launched a public consultation on biobased, biodegradable, and compostable plastics. Stakeholders have until March 15, 2022, to comment.

On January 21, 2022, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) published 2022 Decree No. 2 which amends some articles of four seed related regulations with immediate effect. These regulations include rules for registration of GE seed as well as crop variety registration and seed protection.

On December 23, 2021, the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (GACC) published a notice that the inspection and quarantine requirements for imported dairy products, which include health certificates, import quarantine permits, and testing reports will now be subject to the details specified in GACC Announcement No. 114. Additional information for U.S. firms exporting dairy and infant formula products may be found within the executive summary.

Portuguese cattle and swine sectors are currently restructuring to increase their domestic beef and pork production to meet domestic and export market demands. The meat sector is also working to open new strategic export markets, especially in the pork market.