China picks 3 large EU pork processors for dumping investigation
China will examine 3 large European pork processors in the context of the recently announced investigation into alleged “dumping practices of pig products” on the Chinese market.
Danish Crown (Denmark), Vion Food Group (the Netherlands) and Litera Meat (Spain) were all ‘selected’ for a detailed investigation, Beijing’s trade department said.
In June, China announced that the country would be investigating what it feels to be unfair trade practices by EU pork exporters, following complaints from the China Animal Husbandry Association (CAHA). It is generally assumed that China has taken the step in retaliation to an EU decision to put a levy on imported Chinese electric cars, despite denials by the Chinese authorities.
Larger pork processors in Europe
The 3 companies that have now been selected are among the largest pork processors in Europe.
Danish Crown, the number #1 pork company in Europe, reported a €9.1 billion turnover in 2023, having 25,800 employees. Vion had a turnover of €5.3 billion, having some some 12,000 employees on its payroll. Thirdly, Litera Meat, which employs about 1,600 members of staff and is owned by Italy’s Pini Group, which achieves a turnover of some €2 billion annually.
It should be noted that the first 2 companies of this list are currently in the process of restructuring, which will lead to lower figures for the coming years.
As for the investigation, all 3 companies have announced that they will fully cooperate and hand over all information requested by the Chinese authorities. They or their national organisations strongly deny the allegations.
“No dumping of European pork products”
Laurens Hoedemaker, chairman of the Netherlands sector board COV, told Pig Progress’ sister title Boerderij: “There is absolutely no dumping of European pork products on the Chinese market. We have every confidence that the investigation will prove that.”
Similarly, Danish Crown will be fully committed to the Chinese anti-dumping probe. According to a statement, the company has already submitted information to the Chinese authorities. “Danish Crown has registered to participate in the investigation and submitted all relevant information to the investigating authority.”
Spain: the largest exporter of pork to China
Spain is by far the largest exporter of pork and pork products to China. According to figures by Interporc, Spain’s national organisation for the pig sector, in 2023 the Spanish pork industry producers exported 560,448 tonnes with a total value of €1.2 billion. About 20% of all Spanish pork exports went to China. When seen from a Chinese perspective, about 21% of all Chinese pork imports come from Spain.
Nevertheless, here too there is no sign of alarm about the Chinese action. Giuseppe Aloisio is general director of the National Association of Meat Industries of Spain (ANICE). “Everything goes as expected,” he said, adding, “The 1st step in the procedure is the selection of the companies that will be examined in full. In our country, that’s Litera Meat, together with colleagues from the Netherlands and Denmark. We enter this phase with full peace of mind, just like the European Commission does. At the same time, we have to open, and keep open, the necessary communication lines between the authorities in China and Spain as well as the EU. If necessary, we will take the initiative to organise that.”
News agency Reuters said that the probe is expected to be completed in June 2025, but could be extended by another 6 months.
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