EU trade dispute with China - Punitive tariffs could hit Lower Saxony's pig farmers
Possible Chinese penalties on pork meat from the EU could indirectly affect farmers and meat processors in Lower Saxony. "There is currently no pork meat exported directly from Germany to China, so the effects would be indirect," says Jörn Ehlers, Vice-President of the Lower Saxony Farmers' Association Landvolk Niedersachsen and a pig farmer himself, in response to an inquiry from the German Press Agency. However, from other EU countries, pork meat is indeed exported to China.
"China uses many pork meat products that European consumers do not particularly like to consume, and is an important market for this sector," says Ehlers. If there were sanctions or trade restrictions here, this could also have effects throughout the entire EU. "Worldwide, pork demand is still increasing, so markets could potentially reorganize under certain circumstances."
Farmers seen as sacrificial lambs
Beijing is considering imposing tariffs on EU pork meat as a reaction to EU penalties against highly subsidized electric cars from China. Ehlers sees farmers in the crossfire. "Such a trade war would certainly be annoying for European farmers, as we have nothing to do with the actual problem of the automobile manufacturers and the dispute would therefore be fought on our backs."
In Lower Saxony, there are 3,850 pig farming businesses with a total of 6.93 million pigs, according to the Interest Group of German Pig Farmers.
- Despite no direct pork meat exports from Germany to China, potential Chinese penalties on EU pork could indirectly impact farmers and meat processors in the automotive industry-rich region of Hanover located in Lower Saxony.
- Jörn Ehlers, Vice-President of the Lower Saxony Farmers' Association Landvolk Niedersachsen and a pig farmer, expressed concern about the impact of these penalties on foreign trade, stating that they might have broader effects throughout the entire EU.
- Being a significant market for pork meat products that European consumers often disregard, China's potential sanctions on EU pork could increase pressure on farmers in Lower Saxony, part of the agriculturally-rich state of Lower Saxony in Germany.
- The German Press Agency reported that EU penalties against highly subsidized electric cars from China are leading Beijing to consider imposing tariffs on EU pork, which could put farmers in an unfavorable position in the ongoing dispute.
- In response to this escalating trade disagreement between the EU and China, farmers in Lower Saxony may face increased tariffs, potentially disrupting Germany's automotive industry and agricultural exports.
