China’s pork probe is yet another blow for struggling EU farmers

(June 21): The threat of China slapping tariffs on the European Union’s (EU) pork is the last thing the continent’s beleaguered industry needs. China, the world’s biggest pork consumer, this week announced a probe on imports from the EU that could result in tariffs as part of a trade tit-for-tat. The bloc’s top exporters of the meat — like Spain and Denmark — warn that any levies will further hit overseas sales that have been falling for several years, hurting the entire supply chain from farmers to processors. The EU is already losing its crown as the No 1 pork exporter. After benefitting from demand in China when African swine fever ravaged herds, European shipments have struggled as Chinese output rebounded and the bloc had its own outbreaks of the disease. Farmers’ profits have also been squeezed by higher feed and energy costs and consumers eating less pork, prompting processors to cut jobs, close slaughterhouses and target more local markets. The pork probe is the latest ...