Tariff from China disproportionately impacts meat sector

VleesNL (formerly COV) expresses its disappointment regarding the announcement of new tariffs for Dutch pork by the Chinese authorities. The industry organization speaks of unwanted interference in the pork market that also worsens the Dutch competitiveness. The tariffs for Dutch meat companies vary roughly between 9.8% and 19.8% for the next five years. This represents unwanted interference in the Dutch pork market, said the industry organization. The chairwoman of VleesNL, Manon Houben, stated upon request that it is very concerning that China is disrupting the Dutch meat market. In Europe, the tariffs vary between 4.9% and 19.8%. Houben also finds it concerning that Dutch meat companies are subjected to higher tariffs than, for example, Spanish companies. That undermines the Dutch competitiveness. However, she has no explanation for how China arrived at these variations. She firmly rejects the Chinese accusation of dumping. At no point has there been any dumping. Free market operations, in Houben's view, have not been hindered at any point. Furthermore, the Chinese government has not provided an explanation for the differences, so we too are in the dark. Step in the right direction The reduction of tariffs by approximately 10 percentage points compared to the originally announced levies is a positive signal from Beijing. Houben calls on the Dutch government to engage in talks with the Chinese government as soon as possible. According to her, there is sufficient reason for this. The Chinese highly value our meat products, which helps in conducting the discussions. VleesNL indicates that it will remain constructively engaged in discussions with both the Dutch and Chinese governments. The goal remains to eliminate the remaining tariffs.