• Biden to von der Leyen: "Revitalizing US-EU partnership" and suspension of duties

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March 10, 2021 When the hands of the clock strike midnight on the night between March 10 and 11, the suspension of US duties on European agri-food becomes active.

A suspension that for at least the next 4 months will freeze the application of the duties imposed by the White House two years ago and linked to the Airbus-Boeing dispute.



MEP Paolo De Castro, vice president of Comagri, explains on his social profiles that from now on we will have to work "to reach an agreement that will lead to a lasting solution as soon as possible".

Satisfaction with the consortium of

Grana Padano Dop

, among the most affected Italian agri-food products.

"A spell will be dissolved that has cost thousands of Italian companies exporting to the US since October 2019 millions of euros due to the duties requested by Trump", comments Stefano Berni, general manager of the Consorzio di Tutela del Grana Padano.

A suspension that for Italian food excellences "means a new beginning in such a difficult situation for the economy of the whole planet".



Who benefits from it

The great Italian cheeses, cured meats, along with liqueurs and cordials made in Italy, return to cross US customs, and so it will be for at least four months. 



Palpable enthusiasm also in Reggio Emilia, at the headquarters of the

Parmigiano Reggiano

Consortium

: "The USA represent the first export market, a 20% share of the total export equal to about 12 thousand tons of product and we hope that the Biden administration will put an end to this commercial dispute which is no longer sustainable ", underlines Nicola Bertinelli, president of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium.



The

Asiago

Cheese Protection Consortium also

focuses on the recovery of international flows.

Italy is the first foreign supplier of cheese to the US (about 38,000 tons in 2019, for a value of almost 350 million euros) while the US is the first extra-EU destination for Italian companies.



To be struck, remember

Assolatte

, Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano (-24% in value), Provolone -20%, Asiago -31%, Gorgonzola -13%.



He cautiously awaits the publication of the Regulation in the Official Journal of the EU

Federvini

before toasting: "The announced suspension of duties - comments to Ansa Micaela Pallini, president of the Spirits Group of Federvini - represents a breath of fresh air for our aperitifs and liqueurs which, in the US market alone they have lost about 40% of their export value in the last year. Now we have to wait for the regulatory acts to be adopted which should actually come into force from midnight tomorrow March 11. This measure is, however, limited to only 4 months. In the strong hope that duties will be suspended permanently, we certainly cannot imagine compensating for the enormous losses recorded so far both on the domestic market and abroad, given that precisely in the US market - complains the entrepreneur of Mistrà - difficulties remain. very relevant logistics ".



The game also concerns

Italian

cured

meats

and

hams

: "From our observatory - says Lisa Ferrarini, president of the group of the same name - we are seeing a good liveliness in the demand from our customers in the States. In addition to household consumption, the demand from the world of catering, thanks to a vaccination campaign that has come to fruition after months of total blockade ".



Now the Italian operators are hoping for a definitive agreement that "would save from the additional tariffs of 25% a list of national products which in addition to cheeses also includes

salami, mortadella, crustaceans, molluscs, citrus fruits, juices, cordials and liqueurs such as bitters and limoncello

for a value of about half a billion euros ", according to Coldiretti.