IT was a big day for Shanghai’s dogs and cats yesterday, although the significance might just have been lost on them.

A batch of chicken, mutton and beef snacks for domestic pets, shipped from New Zealand, became the first beneficiary of a pilot scheme for pet food.

This allows samples of pet food sent by boat to be transported by air to the city in order that they can be lab-tested, clearing the way for the bulk of the order that comes by sea to go to the market.