Beijing has decided to strengthen its pressure on the European pig sector in an evening retaliation to The rates applied By Brussels to the electric cars ‘Made in China’. And plan to do it big, adding tariffs of up to 62.4% to EU meat exports. In Spain the employer already He has nuanced That their companies will pay only 20% (some less), but if there is a country that can look with satisfaction, China’s decision is not Spain, but Russia.
After all, Moscow has been wanting to win Market share in Asia.
What happened? That the European pig has started September with turbulence. Turbulence that also affect one of its large markets: China. On Friday the Ministry of Commerce of the Asian Giant advertisement that since Wednesday will impose provisional tariffs of up to 62.4% To a series of pig products and by -products, a whole malazo for the community sector, which every year sells in China thousands and thousands of tons of pork.
According to the Pig333 specialized platform, only during the first quarter of 2025 the EU exported more than 1.1 million tons to countries located outside the community club. Among the nations that contributed the most to that figure are Spain, with 35% of exports, followed by Netherlands, Denmark and Poland. At the other end of the chain, the fate of the meat is China, which was made with 296,500 tons, almost 27% of the total. It is followed by the United Kingdom and the Philippines.
What does that rate of 62.4%mean? The figure is overwhelming, but Beijing’s tariff policy will not affect all EU countries equally. In an interporp fact, the agri -food interprofessional organization of the white -layer Portio, stands out that the Spanish industry will be the best standing in Europe. Although the rate will effectively reach 62.4% for the company of other countries in the region, the employer clarifies that for local firms that penalty will be quite lower: 20%or even lower in some specific case.
And what is the reason? EFE Precise That the largest tariffs, up to 62.4%, will apply to companies that do not collaborate with Chinese authorities. Those who do will see how that low rate at 20%, the percentage that the well, Noel, Campofrío, Cárnicas Five Villas, Fiselva or Sánchez Romero Cavajal must face.
The general photo is however more complex: China plans to do certain exceptions with the companies that his delegation has taken by way of sample for his investigation. Among them are the Dutch Vion, which will face a tariff of 32.7%; Danish Danish Crown, who will assume a rate of 31.3%; and the Spanish Litera Meat, based in Huesca, the most favored with 15.6%.
Why those rates? Largely for the automotive. Perhaps the meat and automobile industry do not have much to do, but if we talk about economic policy, commercial flow and tariffs things change. When Brussels decided Upload your rates To the electric cars ‘Made in China’, Beijing reacted pointing to one of the European sectors that depends most on the Asian giant, the pig.
As? The Xi Jinping government began an investigation ‘Antidumping’ Focused on EU’s pig imports, a process with which, China alleges wants to avoid the alleged unfair competition that affects its own companies.
These investigations began in 2024, but In June Beijing decided to expand the investigation until at least mid -December. Once the process ends, the government will announce the permanent tariffs, but until then it has opted for temporary rates. As remember The Ministry of Commerce, its preliminary study identified a case of dumping Related to pork from the EU, which would have caused “important damage” to Chinese companies.
Is it so serious? It is no accident that Beijing has set just in that sector. China is a Important producer of pigs, but also a enormous gigantic market that matters every year hundreds of thousands of tons of meat, a flow that generates in turn thousands of millions of dollars. And that market the EU (and especially countries with broad livestock cabins, such as Spain) plays a key role.
Despite having slightly reduced its purchases, in 2024 the Asian giant remained the main destination of community pork, with a flow of 1.12 million of tons. In 2020, when the sector of the country was affected by the African swine plague, that data came to 3.34 million.
In the specific case of Spain, which together with Germany and France plays A fundamental role In the European pig industry, the figures are equally eloquent. “China is the main destination market for the meat and by -products of the Spanish pig. In 2024 exports to this country reached 540,000 t, with a value greater than 1,097 million euros, which represents almost 20% of the total exported volume and 12.5% of the value of sales,” remember Interporc.
Is it bad for everyone? No. There is a country that probably see with expectation commercial tensions between China and Europe, especially if we talk about the pig sector: Russia. Moscow was set out from the appetizing (and millionaire) Chinese market for about A decade and a half Due to the health restrictions applied by Beijing in 2008 to protect from the African pig plague. That veto was broken in March 2024, when Russia managed to send a first game of 27 tons of pig to the Asian giant. It was a modest amount, true, but a success for Russia, which had been trying to open a hole in the Chinese market for years.
Last July, Russian pork exports to China already reached 12.4 million dollars, According to Echemiwhich ensures that this figure represents a 22% increase compared to June. It is not the only sign that Moscow is managing to recover land in the Asian market. Just a few days ago the Intefax agency revealed That Kremlin expects Beijing to increase the number of Russian companies authorized to export meat to China, a possibility that looks with optimism. “We are communicating with customs and maintains a very constructive posture,” celebrated The Minister of the Branch, Oksana Lut.
Is it important? Yes. Europe has a relevant weight in the Chinese pig market, but Russia is ambitious and wants to gain a greater market share, something that does not hesitate to openly recognize the sector. “For us these commercial tensions represent an opportunity to show our competitiveness in the Chinese market,” explained A year ago Yuri Kovalyov, from the Russian pig industry, precisely following commercial tensions between Beijing and Brussels.
“If necessary, we could fully meet the demand for pork imported from Europe. In three years we could supply a million tons or more a year,” It was expressed Even more resounding Dmitri Reva, an expert in the Russian consumer market, in an article published by The China Academy.
Images | Decepthi clicks (Unspash), /Ricardo (UNSPLASH) and Pascal Debrunner (UNSPLASH)
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