The Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced on Monday that after the investigation into unfair competition opened in 2024, it would apply customs duties of up to 19.8% on pork coming from the European Union (EU) in what is seen as retaliation for taxes imposed by Brussels on its electric vehicles. The Chinese rates represent a new setback for the Spanish pork sector after the swine fever epidemic detected in Barcelona.
However, these levies, which will be applied for five years from this Tuesday, are considerably reduced. lower than those of up to 62.4% which had been announced against European pigs temporarily last September.
According to the announcement made by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce on its website, the tariffs will range from 4.9% applied only to meat of Spanish literatureone of the companies selected as a sample in the investigations, up to the aforementioned 19.8%, which will be imposed on the companies that did not collaborate as well as on the Dutch company Vion.
For companies that collaborated in the survey, among which several Spaniards stand out like El Pozo, Sánchez Romero Carvajal, Argal, Campofrío, Noel or Friselva, the rate will be 9.8%.
Spain, one of the main exporters
The research was particularly important for Spain, as it is one of the main suppliers of pork for the Asian giant, to which it destined nearly 20% of the volume of its exports of this product last year.
Furthermore, pork is, according to information from the Spanish government, the second most important game in the country’s agri-food exports, just behind olive oil.
In 2024, according to data cited by the employers’ association Interporc, Spain exported part 540,000 tonnes of pork products to China for 1,097 million euros, a figure which also represented 12.5% of the value of the sector’s foreign sales.
It should be remembered that this research excludes Iberian hamone of the most representative products of Spanish gastronomy in the world, or sausages, very little sold in China. The Asian country is an important destination for offal and parts less valued in Europe, such as the ears, snout or legs of this animal, as well as refrigerated or frozen by-products, fats and viscera.
Retaliation against electricians
Beijing opened these investigations in the middle of last year – as well as others against brandy or certain dairy products – due to tensions with Brussels. because of electric vehiclesand extended them last June until today due to the “complexity” of the file.
Spain, which was initially considered among countries promoting tariffsfinally abstained in the vote during which it was decided to apply these rates, in October 2024. China and the EU have achieved a relative rapprochement in recent months, particularly after the increase in customs duties triggered by American President Donald Trump.
The United States was precisely singled out last year by sector analysts as a possible beneficiary of the tariffs with European pork, alongside Brazil, Canada or Argentina. The EU (where other producers such as the Netherlands and Denmark also stand out) has even allocated a 55% of its pork exports in 2020 due to lack of production in the Asian country after a serious outbreak of African swine fever, but this figure fell to 30% in 2023 as the national herd recovered.
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