EU Launches WTO Challenge Against China's European Dairy Subsidies Probe

A French dairy farmer milks cows at a farm in La Planche near Nantes, France, January 21, 2015. (REUTERS/Stephane Mahe)

(Reuters) - The European Commission on Monday said it had launched a legal challenge at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against the initiation by China of an anti-subsidy investigation against imports of certain dairy products from the EU.

"The EU's action was prompted by an emerging pattern of China initiating trade defence measures, based on questionable allegations and insufficient evidence, within a short period of time," the commission said.

(Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Alex Richardson)