In what is offally good news this month, Taiwan has approved the import of British pork for the first time in a deal that could be worth £50m over five years. Imports of British pork had been blocked because of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

The deal was secured by the UK government, working with the UK Export Certification Partnership (UKECP) and Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), whose international market development director Dr Phil Hadley believes the agreement could be worth more than £100m if export capacity were to increase.

In July, China ended its ban on beef imports from the UK. 

You might be thinking sow what, but here are the facts:

• Taiwan is the UK's 37th largest trading partner and the 8th biggest in Asia Pacific. 
• Pork is the most commonly eaten meat in Taiwan, accounting for about half of meat consumption in Taiwan. That's higher than the global average of 40 per cent 
• Pork consumption averages 38kg per person per year 
• Taiwan ranks 5th worldwide in pork consumption per capita
• Total pork consumption should rise 9,300 tonnes in 2018 over 2017 to 922,200 tonnes 
• Taiwan's national dish also includes pork. Braised Pork Rice (Lu Rou Fan) contains ground pork marinated and boiled in soy sauce served on top of steamed rice
  

Here are a few thoughts for you to chew on:

• Taiwan loves sausages. Two years ago Bompas & Parr, the London experience design group, partnered with Taiwanese designer Alice Wang to reinvent the traditional night market experience (Taiwan's night markets, if you're not already aware, are truly amazing). The result was a two-day sausage sampling Sausage Social, which included delights like sausage tea. "Sausage can be easily found in our daily lives, from breakfast to night markets," explained the Commissioner of Taipei's Cultural Department.
• Exporters might want to consider the high-end market and show off products' Britishness through visual branding.
• Be very wary of the current political sensitivities around Taiwan. 
  

If you need a hand with doing business in Taiwan, give us a snout, sorry, shout.