Spain: Heavier US tariffs on Spanish black olives
Following a petition from Californian olive growers, the US Department of Commerce (DOC) has just adopted its final decision that, not only maintaining the provisional tariffs imposed in November and January, but even to increase them considerably.
As a result of the investigation launched on June, 2017 by DOC, into unfair competition from Spanish producers, the average anti-subsidy tariff becomes of 14.75% compared to the provisional of 4.47% set in November last year.
The average anti-dumping tariff imposed will be of 20% in relation to the provisional of 17.13% established in the month of January, 2018.
While the anti-dumping tariff will be applied immediately, as soon as the DOC’s resolution is officially published, the anti-subsidy tariff will not be applied until a second administrative body, the US International Trade Commission (USITC), adopts its final decision at the end of July.
Among the arguments put forward, the US Administration stresses that the CAP aid granted to the Spanish farmers “is not compatible with WTO regulations”.
Upon hearing the news, the sectorial organization ASEMESA said that Spain “will practically lose the American market for black olives”.
In 2016, Spain sold about 32 million kilograms of this type of olive worth €70 million, more than a third of the total exports of this industry.
Source: El País