“Electric vehicle manufacturers are not in Spain”

Because they understand that this move by Beijing is a response that should not be directed against them. “Major electric vehicle manufacturers are not headquartered in Spain. and we feel particularly offended,” Giuseppe Aloisio, director general of the meat association (Anice), told EL ESPAÑOL-Invertia.

Aloisio answers the phone in the middle of a Monday afternoon before he’s had lunch; The first hours on Monday after China’s decision became known were hectic in the sector. High-level meetings with representatives of the Ministry of Trade and Agriculture. Goal: to find out what will happen in the future with Spanish pork exporters to China, the leaders of the Twenty-Seven.

The government’s response was a call for calm and the establishment of “clear” deadlines for exporters. As of this Tuesday, they were told they must register on the platform and fill out a form where give all the information what the authorities of the Asian country demand.

China’s Ministry of Commerce said its investigations will focus on imported products in 2023 and damage that these purchases could harm the Chinese sector between 2020 and 2023. The investigation, they warn, could take longer. from one year to eighteen months.

(China investigates European pork imports for dumping: Spanish producers hit hardest)

“We have no problems with lighting or a stenographer,” says Aloisio. This is the same message they are sending from the Interporc pig farmers’ association, where they understand that now A “new game” is opening up for them, unthinkable just 15 days ago.when the opportunity arose at the Shanghai International Food Industry Fair (SIAL), one of the main agri-food fairs on the Asian continent start selling beef to this country.

A scenario that completely changed focus in just fifteen days, and, they regret, on an issue that has no relevance to their sector. Why do they pay this price? “I believe that if there are foods that are important or have a certain weight on the scale, then they end up becoming more noticeable“, Alberto Herranz, CEO of Interporc, told the newspaper.

From Shanghai to grievances

The truth is that, due to its scale, the Spanish pig sector in China is a prime target. In addition to being the main exporter of this meat to Twenty-Seven Countries, the majority of Spain’s total sales to China are pork. According to official data, 61% of the turnover of the national export sector to this country comes from the sale of pork, followed by drinks and oil, mainly olive.

In 2023, Spain exported more than 560,000 tons of pork to China, worth €1.223 million, making the Asian country the largest direction 20.33% of foreign pork sales, which is 13.7% of the total cost.

Success, paradoxically, makes you more vulnerable to Beijing’s desire to respond with a trade attack which, according to analysts at the consulting company Trivium China, in recent days will go to the main supporters of tariffs on their electric cars: Madrid and Paris.

“Selective” actions because “China doesn’t want a trade war with Europe,” according to analysis that includes EFE.

Influence

Regardless, for now the message of calm is shared across the sector and the government. Trade figures, stress the sources interviewed, will not change much after the announcement of the investigation until a temporary measure is put in place that will affect the flow of exports.

Meat sector does not expect trade interruptionHowever, the arguments put forward by the Chinese authorities have raised some eyebrows. You will have to search a lot for them, they influence the sector in order to find cases of sales below cost, that is dumping.

“In 2023, Spanish pork was the most expensive in the world for 19 weeks,” recalls Aloisio.

Sector diversification is also remembered as a lifeline in the event of a possible blow. He Exports to China peaked in 2020 at 1.34 million tons. Those volumes gradually fell to 542,000 tonnes last year as China’s meat industry recovered from African swine fever, which it suffered domestically.

The Spaniards sought to enter new markets. For example, in the Philippines and Europe.