On Monday 17 June, China confirmed that it was launching an anti-dumping investigation into imports of pork and pork by-products from the EU. This follows a complaint lodged by industry representatives in China. Beijing suspects the EU of improperly subsidising this branch of agriculture through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
For its part, the European Commission said it was fully confident that farm subsidies were unassailable: “We’re not worried at all. All subsidies comply with the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO)” said Olof Gill, the European Commission’s Trade spokesman, on Monday.
China was the leading destination for European pork in 2023. It also imports parts of the pig, such as ears, snouts and feet, which are rarely sold elsewhere.
This is why European farmers are worried about this survey, particularly in Spain, the EU’s leading exporter of pigmeat (31% of exports in 2023). Spain’s Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas, said on Monday 17 June that he hoped for an arrangement between the EU and China. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)