Trade frictions spread as EU launches anti-dumping probe into imports of Chinese ducks
Five European duck producers allege that Chinese counterparts exporting Pekin ducks benefit from state subsidies, cheap feed and other policy support
Trade frictions between China and the European Union have spread to the importation of Pekin ducks, with Brussels opening an anti-dumping investigation on Thursday.
The EU notice announcing the anti-dumping probe said those imports caused “substantial adverse effects on the overall performance of the Union industry”, hitting sales, prices and market share.
The Pekin duck, the breed behind most of the world’s commercial ducks, originated in China before spreading globally, according to the European Food Safety Authority.
China dominates global duck production, accounting for close to 80 per cent of the world’s duck meat, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. Its exports of duck products rose 57 per cent in 2025, the year covered by the EU probe, data from China’s Waterfowl Industry and Technology Development Report shows.
The complaint singled out Shandong, China’s largest duck-producing province, saying subsidies for soy-processing and compound-feed mills there helped lower production costs.