Government is "confident" that Ireland's exports of pork and pork by-products to China are fully compliant with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Niamh Smyth has said.

It is understood that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is aware of the preliminary findings of an anti-dumping investigation by China.

In June, China initiated the investigation on imports of pork and beef products from the EU, and it announced provisional duties on imports of pork from the EU.

Minister of State Niamh Smyth told the Dáil that the European Commission is in the "process of assessing this announcement and will consider measures to protect EU industry and economic interests" ahead of the deadline for the final determination of the Chinese investigation on December 16.

"I understand that DAFM is aware of the preliminary findings of China's investigation and that the department is confident that Ireland's exports of pork and pork by-products to China are fully compliant with WTO rules," she said.

"The department has encouraged the Irish industry to co-operate fully with the Chinese investigations."

She said the government is cognisant of the need to look to "other markets and trying to ensure that we future-proof not just our pig sector but all agri-food sectors that face tariffs, potentially".

TD Aindrias Moynihan, chair of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food, said that the tariffs in place are a "huge burden on the export of pig products to China".

"The imposition by China recently of what it considers anti-dumping tariffs will really challenge that trade," the deputy said.