Cheese, China lowers tariffs and mascarpone toasts

An important breakthrough has arrived for the export of Italian cheese, one of the pivotal sectors of the Made in Italy food industry with exports worth around EUR 6 billion: in fact, the Chinese authorities have announced the reduction of tariffs from the current regime, which ranges from a minimum tariff of 28.6 per cent but can go as high as 42.7 per cent toa new range of between 9.5 and 11.7 per cent.

The system was set up by the Chinese authorities a year ago to hit European cheeses in response to EU measures on the import of electric motors from China. But now the penalisation is being scaled back. According to Assolatte, 'pending the full assessment of the grounds, the result indicates that Beijing has recognised at least part of the defensive arguments presented by the EU. Initially, the Chinese authorities had asked to verify whether certain support measures for dairy farming under the CAP could generate distortions in the prices of products exported to the Chinese market'.

"The new tariff level is undoubtedly a relief for the sector," commented the president of Assolatte, Paolo Zanetti. With a maximum tariff at 11.7%, the market remains viable. The credit goes to the coordinated work of the European Commission, the national governments and the companies involved, many of them Italian but also French and Spanish".

Since the Chinese tariffs were provisionally introduced, Italian cheese exports have lost 17 per cent in quantity and 20 per cent in value. "A decision," they add at Assolatte, "that had also interrupted an important growth trend. In 2024, our shipments to China had grown by 31 per cent compared to the year before'. Italy currently exports around 10 thousand tonnes of cheese to China for a turnover of €70 million and is the leading EU player, since European cheeses as a whole achieve a turnover of €185 million in China.

But it is interesting to underline the type of products exported from Italy. "75% of the 10,000 tonnes shipped to China," Zanetti added, "regard mascarpone. The Chinese have a real predilection for Tiramisu. There is no restaurant in Beijing, certainly less so in the interior, where the famous Italian dessert is not on the menu. Moreover, the Chinese believe that Italian mascarpone is by far the best raw material for making it'. The other 25% of Italian sales are made from Grana Padano, Parmigiano Reggiano, Gorgonzola and cow's milk mozzarella.