Brussels imposes definitive anti-dumping duties on Chinese pea protein imports

The European Commission has imposed definitive anti-dumping duties of 40,5 % to 67,1 % on imports of high-protein pea protein originating in the People’s Republic of China, and has definitively collected the provisional duties already secured. The measure is laid down in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2101 of 24 September 2026, published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 25 September 2026 (CELEX: L_202602101).

The regulation closes an investigation opened on 29 August 2025 following a complaint lodged on 15 July 2025 by the Ad Hoc Coalition of Union Pea Protein Producers. Imports were made subject to registration by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2144 of 21 October 2025, and provisional anti-dumping duties were imposed by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/916 of 27 April 2026. The legal basis is Article 9(4) of Regulation (EU) 2016/1036, the basic anti-dumping Regulation; the case number is AD737.

Duty rates and product scope

The duties cover high protein content pea protein containing more than 65 % protein on a dry weight basis, encompassing all types of pea protein derived from peas — including yellow field peas and green field peas — in solid or liquid form, whether textured or not.

• Sanjia Group (Jiujiang Tiantai Food Co., Ltd. and Yantai Oriental Protein Tech Co., Ltd): 40,5 %
• Yantai Shuangta Food Co. Ltd.: 67,1 %
• Other cooperating companies listed in the Annex: 40,5 %
• All other imports originating in China: 67,1 %

Nine further cooperating producers not sampled, among them Anhui Wanshen Biotechnology Co., Ltd., the Jianyuan Group, Linyi Yuwang Vegetable Protein Co., Ltd. and Shandong Hua-Thai Foodproducts Co., Ltd., receive the 40,5 % rate under the TARIC additional codes set out in the Annex. Individual rates apply only where a valid commercial invoice carries the declaration prescribed in Article 1(3).

Injury, dumping and the lesser duty rule

The Commission established dumping margins of 40,5 % for the Sanjia Group and 67,1 % for the Shuangta Group, against injury margins of 81,9 % and 130,8 % respectively. Because the injury margins exceed the dumping margins, the duties were capped at the dumping level under Article 9(4) of the basic Regulation.

The investigation found a weighted average price undercutting margin above 35 %. Union consumption rose 27 % over the period considered, while the market share of the Union industry fell from 59 % in 2022 to 56 % in the investigation period; imports from China grew 77 % between 2022 and 2024, and China’s market share rose from 30,5 % to 48,3 % between 2022 and 2023.

Provisional duties collected, no retroactive collection

Article 2 of the regulation provides that the amounts secured under the provisional regulation are definitively collected, with any excess above the definitive rates released.

The Commission declined retroactive collection. Monthly average import volumes were 954 tonnes during the investigation period (1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025), 826 tonnes between September 2025 and March 2026, and 795 tonnes between September 2025 and April 2026, which showed no further substantial rise in imports.

Reactions and Union interest

• The French Federation of Oilseed and Protein Crop Producers (FOP) registered on 2 July 2026 and supported the duties, citing downward pressure on crop prices and reduced farmer profitability.
• The China Chamber of Commerce of Import & Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce & Animal By-Products (CFNA) opposed the measures, arguing they would raise costs across the downstream value chain.
• Huel GmbH, a user, reported that pea protein accounted for 1-4 % of the production cost of the affected products.
• KremsChem Austria GmbH sought an exemption for pea protein isolates used in industrial research and bio-based resin production; the Commission dismissed the request as unsubstantiated and submitted after the statutory deadlines.

The regulation enters into force on 26 September 2026, the day after publication. It shields Union pea protein producers from a market share loss that ran from 59 % to 56 % over the period considered, while raising input costs for importers and users of a widely traded upstream ingredient.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, L series, No 2026/2101, 25 September 2026, legislation, p. 1 (official reference: CELEX: L_202602101).