US proposes additional tariffs on EU dairy products
The US government has proposed placing additional import duties on a selection of EU dairy products, as part of a wider range of tariffs worth approximately $11bn, according to the UK Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board.
The initial list of dairy products under the tariff includes a selection of yogurt, butter and cheese trade codes, although the largest impact will be on cheese. The cheese codes cover a range of speciality European cheeses, including cheddar. The EU exported just under 134,000 tonnes of cheese to the US in 2018, and about 75% of this volume could be affected if all the proposed tariffs are implemented. For some of the speciality cheeses affected, the US is one of the EU’s top export destinations. Additional tariffs would make it more expensive to export to the US, which could leave supplies looking for a new home.
The World Trade Organisation will determine the value of the tariffs after it ruled the EU gave illegal subsidies to airplane manufacturer Airbus, giving the company an unfair advantage over others, including US-based Boeing. Because of this, the US is allowed to impose additional tariffs on imported EU products to recover the money it is estimated to have lost out on. The proposed list of products includes a wide range of products, including dairy.
