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China confirms anti-dumping investigation into EU pork products

Alistair DriverBy 3 Mins Read
Shipping containers with flags of European Union and China
© Adobe Stock

China’s Ministry of Commerce has confirmed that it will launch an anti-dumping investigation into EU pork products, in retaliation for new EU duties on imports of Chinese electric cars.

The investigation, which is expected to take up to a year, could have significant implications for the global pork trade, if it results in new tariffs or other restriction on EU pork exports to China.

The Ministry received an application from the China Animal Husbandry Association on June 6 on behalf of the domestic pork and pork by-products industry.

After reviewing the application, the Ministry concluded that the total output of the applicant’s relevant pork and pork by-products meets the provisions of China’s anti-dumping regulations.

“Based on the above review results, in accordance with Article 16 of the Anti-dumping Regulations of the People’s Republic of China, the Ministry of Commerce decided to initiate an anti-dumping investigation on imports of relevant pork and pork by-products originating from the European Union from June 17, 2024,” the Ministry said.

The investigation will cover the period from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2023, looking at the damage done to the Chinese industry by EU exports of a wide range of pork products, including fresh and frozen pork and offal.

The Ministry said the investigation ‘should usually’ be completed within a year, before June 17, 2025, but can be extended for six months under special circumstances.

Chinese launched the anti-dumping probe into pork imports from the EU, after Brussels announced that it will impose an additional provisional duty of between 17.4% and 38.1% on Chinese electric vehicle (EV) imports from early July.
The move has angered the Chinese Government and industry with the Global Times quoting ‘observers’ saying that it is ‘purely political, helping neither EU consumers nor EU auto industries’. The Chinese Foreign Ministry vowed to take ‘necessary measures’ and the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said it reserves the right to resolve the dispute at the WTO, including filing applications for anti-dumping investigations.
By targeting pork, instead of tit-for-tat measures on EU-made electric vehicles, China would avoid harming its own car brands’ European operations.

Major impact

China has successfully rebuilt its pig herd, after it was devastated by African swine fever from 2017, which resulted in a huge peak in imports in 2020. While Chinese pork volumes have fallen back since then, it continues to be major pork importer.
China imported $6 billion worth of pork in 2023, including offal, with the EU accounting for more than half, customs data showed, according to Reuters. Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark and France are among the top seven exporters of pig-related goods to China.
According to Sky, Spanish pork producers group Interporc said it would fully cooperate with the investigation by Chinese authorities, adding that the EU and China still have plenty of time to reach agreements’. Its Danish counterpart warned producers would be ‘hit incredibly hard’ by any restrictions on sales to China.

Russia and South America could be the main beneficiaries of any resulting tariffs on EU pork.

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Editor Pig World, group editor Agronomist and Arable Farmer and Farm Contractor. National Pig Association webmaster. Former political editor at Farmers Guardian. Occasional media pundit. Brought up on a Leicestershire farm. Works from a shed in his Oxfordshire garden.

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