Some from the European pork industry voiced relief at the decision though they said the tariffs would still hurt. The European Commission expressed concern, pledging to defend exporters.

WHY IT MATTERS: Canadian hog farmers face 25 per cent tariffs from China on pork — also levied in retaliation for duties on Chinese electric vehicles.

China will impose tariffs of between 4.9 per cent and 19.8 per cent on pork imports from the bloc for a five-year period starting on Wednesday, well below the 15.6 per cent-62.4 per cent imposed in a preliminary decision in September, China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement.

Importers will receive a refund on the difference between the rates paid since September.

The decision is a partial reprieve for European producers who depend heavily on the Chinese market, especially for the offal — such as pig ears and feet — rarely eaten elsewhere.

European commission to assess WTO compliance

China’s anti-dumping investigation began in June last year and has affected major pork exporters such as Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark.

In 2024, over half of China’s $4.8 billion worth of pork imports came from the EU, with Spain leading the bloc in exports by volume.

That accounted for 17.6 per cent of EU pork exports, the second highest behind Britain, which imported a 29.7 per cent share, according to Spanish government data.

In a statement on Tuesday, the European Commission described China’s investigation as “based on questionable allegations and insufficient evidence”.

It vowed to defend EU farmers and exporters against what it called Beijing’s “abusive use of trade defence instruments” and said it was “carefully assessing all the information available against compliance with WTO rules”.

China also has an anti-subsidy investigation into European Union dairy exports that is due to report next February and has already imposed tariffs on EU brandy.

Talks on tariffs resume

China did not say why it chose to lower rates, though it said last week talks over electric vehicle tariffs had resumed. French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish King Felipe have both recently visited Beijing.

Spanish regional leaders met China’s ambassador in recent weeks to ask for lower tariffs, citing Spain’s openness to Beijing’s investment in the automotive sector, a Spanish regional government source told Reuters.

Spanish Agriculture Minister Luis Planas told reporters that domestic industry could absorb the new rate on pork exports, welcoming what he called an element of stability for the next five years.

He also said he understood the Commission’s concerns, adding that “everything is reversible” through negotiations.

Previously, major exporters to China such as the EU and Brazil were subject to “most-favoured nation” tariffs of around 12 per cent for many pork products.

The anti-dumping duties come on top of these.

U.S. pork is subject to substantially higher tariffs.

Mixed feelings for European producers

Most Spanish firms are now subject to a relatively moderate tariff of 9.8 per cent. Spain’s Litera Meat got the lowest rate, at only 4.9 per cent — an outcome the company described as “very positive”.

Giuseppe Aloisio, head of Spanish industry group Anice, said he expected talks to continue, as the duties would hurt company margins.

In France, Anne Richard, director of pork industry association Inaporc, said there’s some relief as abattoirs that export have been recognized as cooperating and have been granted a rate of 9.8 per cent.

“Having said that, we can’t exactly rejoice at the prospect of a tax,” Richard said.

Morten Boje Hviid, the CEO of Denmark’s Agriculture and Food Council, said the final tariffs were still high and created unequal competitive conditions, generating price pressures within the EU.

China’s approach was “dividing European economic policy,” said Nemesio Sanchez, an international trade consultant specializing in Iberico pork.

Home to half the world’s pigs, China’s massive hog sector is grappling with a supply glut amid weak consumer demand. Chinese pork prices have been falling throughout 2025 and are expected to continue their decline.

Even at the lower rate, the duties could slightly ease food price deflation by raising imported pork prices.

“That will benefit Chinese pig farming companies which have reckoned with low prices for pork all year,” said Even Rogers Pay, a director at Beijing-based consultancy Trivium China.

— Reporting by Daphne Zhang, Ella Cao and Lewis Jackson in Beijing, Gus Trompiz in Paris, Emma Pinedo, David Latona and Corina Pons in Madrid, Soren Sirich Jeppesen in Copenhagen and Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels.

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At a campaign rally ahead of Sunday’s presidential election, which Maduro is expected to win, the president called Kellogg’s move illegal and told cheering supporters that Venezuelans’ favourite cereal would continue to be produced.

“We’ve begun judicial proceedings against the business leaders of Kellogg’s because their exit is unconstitutional,” Maduro said.

“I’ve taken the decision to deliver the company to the workers in order that they can continue producing for the people.”

Kellogg announced its retreat earlier on Tuesday, making it the latest multinational to exit the oil-rich country, which is heaving under hyperinflation and strict price controls.

“In December of 2016, Kellogg deconsolidated its Venezuela business from the company’s results. The current economic and social deterioration in the country has now prompted the company to discontinue operations,” Kellogg said in a statement.

Kellogg did not specify the difficulties it was facing in Venezuela, but companies have typically been struggling to find raw materials due to product shortages and currency controls that crimp imports.

Kellogg did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Maduro’s plans to hand its local unit over to workers.

The company in its statement warned against sales of its products or brands in Venezuela “without the expressed authorization of the Kellogg Company,” adding that it would like to return to Venezuela in the future.

Maduro’s government also stops companies from raising prices to keep up with hyperinflation, denting profits and sometimes rendering operations unsustainable.

The closure is not expected to significantly worsen food shortages in Venezuela, but it was a further blow to morale for many Venezuelans as Kellogg’s is the most popular and available cereal in the country.

Stunned workers were barred from entering Kellogg’s plant in the central city of Maracay and massed outside, seeking information, local business sources said.

Other multinational companies that have given up on the OPEC country, abandoning assets or selling them cheap, include Clorox, Kimberly-Clark, General Mills, General Motors and Harvest Natural Resources.

Venezuelans are struggling under quintuple-digit annual inflation and millions suffer food and medicine shortages. Even so, Maduro is expected to win re-election on Sunday in a vote the main opposition coalition says is a sham.

Maduro blames Venezuela’s crisis on an “economic war” he says is waged by Washington, greedy businessmen and coup-mongers.

— Reporting for Reuters by Corina Pons and Tibisay Romero; writing by Alexandra Ulmer and Girish Gupta.

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