The meat industry in Wales received a golden ticket last week as Chinese trade delegates met meat exporters to discuss a deal that could see the world's biggest consumer market importing Welsh lamb.
The deal, potentially worth millions of pounds, was discussed by meat suppliers including Vion, Randall Parker Foods, and Dunbia.
The meeting at the Royal Welsh Show in Llanelwedd, Powys, saw Gywn Howells, chief executive of Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC) – the industry body responsible for promoting Welsh red meat – appealing to China's growing taste for high-quality foods and fine-dining. He contrasted the Welsh product with the mass-market approach taken by countries such as Australia and New Zealand, which already supply China with lamb.