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China has placed a preliminary dumping obligation of up to 62% on European pork in a move seen as retaliation against EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports.
“Preliminary evidence shows that imported pork products from the EU have been dumped and are causing major harm to the relevant domestic industries,” China’s Commerce Ministry said after more than a year of investigation. Temporary missions have been announced between 15.6% and 62.4%.
When Beijing released its survey last June, it said European agriculture industry would be hit hardest by farmers in Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Belgium.
The investigation is seen as retaliation for Brussels’ move last year, raising tariffs on some producers to up to 45% as part of China’s anti-subsidized probes for EVs.
Brussels has since published various prevention probes and other types of investigations on various Chinese products as tensions grow over China’s massive trade surplus.
China extended its investigation into EU pork imports for six months in June this year. However, Friday’s announcement ended hopes that it might further postpone tariffs.
Olov Gill, a trade spokesman for the European Commission, said the committee will study China’s announcement. However, he said the investigation “is not in line with WTO rules as it is based on suspicious allegations and insufficient evidence.”
He added that recent trade deals, including those with Mexico, have increased market access for EU pork producers.
China’s measures fell two-thirds to 4.3 million tonnes between 2020 and 2024, as EU PIG farmers already feel pressure to cost inflation, lower prices and lower exports.
As the mainland increased its pig herds, most of the reductions were in Dahua Gaku. China and Hong Kong purchased 1.18 million tonnes from 3.6 million in 2020, and the mainland remains the largest market.
China helps to reinforce profit margins by purchasing unpopular parts of animals in Europe, such as the head and trotter.
Farmers are also facing an increase in imports. Brussels is proposing to provide the US with an annual tax-free allocation of 25,000 tons as part of its recent trade agreement. The transaction also imposed a 15% tariff on EU exports to the US, exceeding $700 million in 2024.
On Wednesday, the EU filed a trade agreement with Mercosur Bloc for approval. This will allow South American countries to export an additional 25,000 tonnes of duty-free to the bloc.
The EU is the world’s second largest producer of pork after China, and is the largest exporter of pork and pork products. Germany, Spain and France are the largest producers.
