That in Catalonia there are more pigs than people (8,026,467 million of the former for 8,005,784 of the seconds, with data from 2023) it is not just a bad click, but it had their reason for being: a fifth of these pigs had to go to China, the country to which the export companies of the pig industry had directed many. But the announcement that the Asian giant to pork in response to the tariffs of the European Union to its electric cars threatens to disrupt this strategy. The levies affect the European pig industry, especially the Spanish and very special to Catalan: Catalan companies export almost half of the pig sold to China from Spain. Specifically, 44.4% of the value of exports and 42.8% of the volume. The sector claims support measures and last week the Generalitat met urgently with its representatives.
A few years ago, since before the pandemic, that the Catalan pig sector has China as a great priority: the Asian market is huge and promises great benefits, especially because its appetite is very varied. Among the products exported by companies are fresh meat (refrigerated or frozen) but also the by -products that do not have so much exit and that they like a lot in the Asian country, such as liver, spoils, intestines, in addition to ham and others. The sector invested and prepared to strengthen this leap into the Chinese market, and in Spain there was the feeling that would be reached.
But for at least two years. According to the data of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of the Generalitat, Catalonia exported 230,942 tons of pig products worth 486.36 million euros, 19.6% less in value and 15% less in quantity of what had been exported in 2023. In the first six months of 2025 the indicators have risen (31.7% more in value and 28% more in tons) but
The bet of the pig with China has been total: pig exports represent almost 80% of the value of everything Catalonia sells to that country, and in terms of the meat industry it is almost 100%. But luckily pig exporting companies have their diversified markets: the percentage of the pig they sell to China with respect to what they sell to the rest of the world is 12.9% in value and 18.4% in volume, that is, almost a fifth of the total.
Before the announcement of the tariffs, the Generalitat met last week with the sector. The agriculture and company departments have the objective of pressing the Ministry to carry out negotiations that minimize the impact. The department recalls that Spain has been the best valued country in Chinese anti -dumping research with which tariffs justify. Tariffs to certain pig products may not reach 62%, but would also leave the sector in a weak position against competitors that will not suffer from taxes, such as Brazil.
According to the Generalitat data, there are 29 Catalan pig companies that export to China. Jordi Saltiveri, responsible for livestock of the Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives of Catalonia (FCAC) warned that the scenario is “maximum uncertainty.” The imposition of tariffs, warned in a statement last week, puts at risk “the income of the farmers and the continuity of family farms, as well as thousands of jobs linked to the industry”, which has also suffered a price drop in recent years.
