EU lobby groups have warned of “serious damage” to the bloc’s pork trade after China said it will impose temporary anti-dumping duties on imports.
In a spat stretching back more than a year, the levies will apply to pork and pig by-products imported from the EU from 10 September, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Friday (5 September), citing the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.
China kicked-off an investigation in June last year to ascertain whether the EU was guilty of exporting pork products to the Asian country at prices that put local producers at an unfair advantage. The probe was due to last 12 months but has recently been extended to 16 December. A similar enquiry was also launched in August last year for dairy products but that has been extended to February.
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The trade spat with China was sparked by the EU threatening to impose tariffs on imports of Chinese battery electric vehicles (BEV), with the EC claiming “unfair subsidisation” by its Chinese counterparts that risked “causing a threat of economic injury” to local manufacturers.
Pork imports from the EU “involved dumping and caused substantial damage to the related domestic industry”, Xinhua quoted the Ministry as saying.
In what was described as a preliminary ruling, China will require EU pork exporters to submit deposits to customs authorities at rates varying from 15.6% to 62.4%.
“China has consistently exercised caution and restraint in the use of trade-remedy measures,” a spokesperson for the Ministry told Xinhua, adding that its government is open to dialogue with the EU to address the trade disparities.
Copa and Cogeca, which represent farmers and agri-cooperatives in the EU, said they “strongly regret the decision” by China as it will “undoubtedly cause serious damage to European pig producers”.
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By GlobalDataAntonio Tavares, chair of Copa and Cogeca’s working party on pig meat, said: “It is unacceptable that European pig-meat producers are being forced to pay the price for political trade disputes. These measures only serve to strengthen our global competitors while weakening EU producers.”
The industry groups noted that EU companies that have cooperated with China’s investigation were now subject to lower duties of between 15.6% and 32.7%, while others face 62.4%.
China’s pork probe began in June 2024 after applications from Chinese domestic industries covering pork products intended for human consumption, including fresh, chilled, and frozen cuts, as well as innards.
Major European pork producers such as Danish Crown, Vion and Litera Meat were identified in the probe at the time.
Copa and Cogeca warned that the impact of duties is expected to extend beyond direct exports, placing additional pressure on the EU’s internal pig-meat markets in light of increased access for US pork producers and existing “instability” for the bloc’s pork exporters.
“The European Commission must urgently rethink its trade policy and ensure that the farming sector is not treated as a bargaining chip in international negotiations,” Tavares concluded.
