This represents an opening for increasing sales to one of the group’s most important markets, explained Asger Krogsgaard, a member of the Board of Directors of Danish Crown and Chairman of the Company Board of the Danish Agriculture and Food Council.

Together with HRH Prince Henrik and the Danish Minister for Food, Henrik Høegh, and others, he has spearheaded a Danish export drive which is just now drawing to a close in Shanghai.

"It is an important agreement and a key step towards strengthening our trading relations with China. With the new agreement, we can look forward to selling processed products alongside our very considerable exports of by-products," said Asger Krogsgaard.

At present, Danish Crown sells mainly by-products such as ears, toes and intestines to China. Volumes have been increasing, and China has in recent years become our fourth-largest market, measured in terms of weight. At the same time, a new class of wealthy consumers is emerging in China and creating a demand for food of a quality found in the West.

"Thanks to our high food safety standards, we have already been present in the market for a number of years, and this will be our springboard for future sales of high-quality products. The consumers are there, and they are calling for quality Western-style foods combined with high food safety," Mr Krogsgaard said.