A delegation from the Dutch meat sector visited China last week. The purpose of the visit was to discuss the import duties imposed on pork. A hearing will be held in China next week to discuss the tariffs. It is expected that...
In early September, China announced it would impose import duties on pork from the European Union. This was the outcome of the long-running anti-dumping investigation. Several European slaughterhouses have been hit with a tariff of as much as 62,4%. Imported meat from Vion's locations in Boxtel, Groenlo, and Apeldoorn has been subject to a 32,7% tariff since September 10. Westfort, Compaxo, and Van Rooi Meat are also on the list and face tariffs of 20%.
Conversations
Last week, a delegation from the Central Organisation for the Meat Sector (COV), including representatives from the slaughterhouses involved, visited China to denounce these import duties. When asked, the trade association, through its chairwoman, Manon Houben, stated that discussions had been held with various parties, during which both parties expressed appreciation for the cooperation over the past few years. "COV has indicated that there is no dumping on the Chinese market," Houben said. The chairwoman further stated that they have been exploring ways to reduce the duties.
Next week, another official hearing will be held in China, where the COV's arguments will be presented. The COV expects the final tariffs to be clear before December 16th. The tariffs imposed in early September were initially temporary.
Large market
The tariffs are a heavy blow for the Dutch pig sector. China is a major market for by-products, and pig prices have plummeted this autumn, partly due to the tariffs. In the first eight months of this year, the Netherlands sold over 128.000 tons of pork (including by-products) to China. Statistics cannot yet confirm whether export volumes have declined since September. Slaughterhouses report lower sales volumes since then.