China's tariffs hit meat sector disproportionately hard

The rates for Dutch meat companies to vary For the next five years, the tariffs are expected to be roughly between 9,8% and 19,8%. "This represents undesirable interference in the Dutch pork market," according to the industry association. When asked, VleesNL chair Manon Houben said she is deeply concerned that China is disrupting the Dutch meat market. In Europe, tariffs range from 4,9% to 19,8%.

Houben is also concerned that Dutch meat companies are being charged higher levies than, for example, Spanish companies. "That's detrimental to Dutch competitiveness." However, she offers no explanation for how China arrived at this disparity. She vehemently rejects the Chinese accusation of dumping. At no point has dumping occurred. Houben believes free market forces have never been hampered. "Moreover, the Chinese government hasn't offered an explanation for the discrepancies, so we're also in the dark."

Step in the right direction
"The reduction in tariffs by approximately 10 percentage points compared to the originally announced levies is a positive signal from Beijing." Houben urges the Dutch government to resume talks with the Chinese government as soon as possible. She believes there are sufficient grounds for this. "The Chinese greatly value our meat products, which helps in conducting these discussions." VleesNL indicates it will continue constructive discussions with both the Dutch and Chinese governments. The goal remains to remove the remaining tariffs.