The meat industry
in China

Agricultural study tour from 2 April to 10 April 2027
. Registration deadline: 13 November 2026

China is one of the world’s largest and most dynamic agricultural and food markets. This exclusive study tour offers a unique insight into Chinese livestock farming, meat production and the food industry – from modern breeding and rearing systems through to slaughter and processing, right up to highly automated production facilities.

On our journey from Beijing via the major agricultural province of Shandong to Shanghai, we will visit selected farms and businesses and, through direct dialogue with experts, gain insights into current developments, production methods and future prospects for the Chinese meat and livestock industry.

Alongside the comprehensive professional programme, we will also discover China’s cultural diversity: the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, traditional markets and tea culture, as well as the fascinating metropolis of Shanghai, provide the varied backdrop to this extraordinary journey.

A trade mission that combines in-depth industry information, personal encounters and memorable travel experiences – and reveals China from a perspective that usually remains hidden from ordinary visitors.

• Flight from Vienna to Munich on OS 187 at 17:40
• Connecting flight to Beijing on LH 722 at 19:45

• Arrival in Beijing at 11.45 am
• We will then be transferred to our hotel in the bustling city centre. Beijing, the capital of China, has a population of over 22 million
• Free time in the afternoon
• Opportunity to visit Tiananmen Square (Plaza of Heavenly Peace)
• Welcome dinner in the form of an international buffet at the hotel
• Overnight stay at the 4* Mercure Beijing City Centre Hotel in the city centre of Beijing

• In the morning, a technical discussion with an agricultural expert from the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture at the hotel
  , followed by a presentation on Chinese agriculture, with a particular focus on general information about China’s cereal and livestock sectors and international trade with Austria.
• Afterwards, we will enjoy an international lunch buffet at a good hotel nearby
• In the afternoon, a short sightseeing tour of Beijing, including a visit to the Forbidden City, the historic imperial palace which served as the residence of a total of 24 Chinese emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The complex is regarded as one of the largest and best-preserved historic wooden imperial palaces in the world and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
• Afterwards, we will learn about traditional Chinese tea culture and sample various types of tea. This is the place where the imperial examinations were once held and where high-quality tribute teas were served to the emperor.
• Transfer back to the hotel
• Overnight stay at the 4* Mercure Beijing City Centre Hotel

• Trip to the Great Wall at Juyongguan
  The Great Wall of China stretches across 15 provinces and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. It is also known as the ‘armour of the empire’. The sections around Beijing are among the best-preserved and most visited parts of the Wall.
• Traditional lunch featuring Peking duck
• Visit to a major regional livestock farm run by Animal Husbandry Co, Ltd., which combines
  cattle breeding, slaughter, processing, and research and development The farm keeps around 4,000 Angus and Limousin cattle. The processing capacity is around 200 cattle and 1,000 sheep per day. Collaboration with Beijing Agricultural University, as well as Chinese-Canadian and Chinese-French partners. As this is a company with a largely integrated value chain, we will tour both the cattle rearing facilities and the processing plants for beef and sheep meat.
• We then return to the hotel for dinner together
• Overnight stay at the 4* Mercure Beijing City Centre Hotel

• Visit to Beijing Zhongyu Breeding Pig Co., Ltd.
  During a technical discussion with experts on various aspects of pig farming and breeding technologies, livestock numbers, feeding, etc. We were not permitted to enter the actual piggeries. Annual slaughter capacity: approx. 60,000 pigs. Senior executives from the company welcomed our group. Using video footage, we were able to view the pig farming operations and the various technical facilities. In the discussion that followed, managers and engineers answered our group’s questions. Furthermore, once the planned production capacity has been reached, more than 30,000 breeding pigs are to be marketed annually in the breeding sector.
• In the afternoon, a visit to a slaughterhouse belonging to the "Shunxing Group” or the "Shoungong Group” in the Greater Beijing area. (Capacity of approx. 1.8 million to 2.2 million pigs)
• We will then return to the city centre, and dinner will be at your own expense
• Overnight stay at the 4* Mercure Beijing City Centre Hotel

• After breakfast, transfer to the station
• Journey by high-speed train from Beijing to Laizhou in Shandong Province, train G1087, 11.09–15.04 (a packed lunch will be served on the train)
  . Shandong is one of China’s most important agricultural regions. The province holds a leading position nationwide in terms of total production of vegetables, animal products and poultry products. The region benefits from a cost-effective supply of animal feed, a well-developed value chain in livestock farming, comprehensive logistics infrastructure and proximity to a port. Thanks to these locational advantages, the ‘New Hope Group’ has established numerous pig farms in the region.
• Transfer to the hotel
• Option to take a tour of a local food market
• Overnight stay at the 4* Huaxi Hotel in Laizhou

• A visit to Laizhou New Hope Liuhe Agriculture & Animal Husbandry Co., Ltd, which operates the first multi-storey pig farm in Shandong Province
• The facility is divided into two independent breeding areas – Zone A and Zone B. Each area comprises a five-storey building for pig rearing, with each floor serving a different function.
• The system is based on a three-dimensional, intensive rearing concept. A total of around 13,500 pigs are reared in the largely fully automated facility.
• Each floor has its own automatic feeding system, central ventilation and temperature control systems, as well as intelligent water-cooling and cooling wall systems.
• In addition, slatted floor systems are used for manure removal, along with a digital management system for the entire facility. To ensure a high level of biosecurity, the facility is divided into different zones. These include the multi-storey breeding building, isolation pens and rooms for the safe handling of animal by-products. The area for processing slurry, biogas digestate and other residues is completely physically separated from the other areas. This enables an environmentally friendly circular economy in livestock farming.
• Lunch in Weifang
• Journey on the G828 high-speed train to Shanghai (a pre-prepared dinner will be served on the train)
• Overnight stay in a 4-star hotel in Shanghai near the Bund

• In the morning, a visit to a silk museum and the famous Yu Garden.
  The Yu Garden is renowned for its traditional Chinese architecture and is one of Shanghai’s most important attractions.
• Lunch featuring regional specialities
• Trip to Shanghai’s largest chicken farm
  : Chia-Tai Egg Industry in Chongming operates Shanghai’s largest laying hen farm and one of the largest smart, fully integrated egg production projects at a single site in Asia. The facility is designed to accommodate 3 million laying hens and also includes a pullet rearing unit, a feed mill, an egg processing plant and facilities for treating livestock manure. The hen houses are fully enclosed and automated. Due to strict biosecurity regulations, visitors are not permitted to enter the hen houses. However, the exhibition area and the egg processing lines can be viewed subject to prior booking and authorisation.
• Return journey to Shanghai
• Farewell dinner together
• Overnight stay in a 4-star hotel in Shanghai near the Bund

• Transfer to the airport
• Flight from Shanghai to Vienna at 09:30
• Arrival in Vienna at 15:55