TRADE WARS:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will impose $30 million worth of tariffs on European pork - mostly from France, Germany, Denmark and Italy - to retaliate for the European Union's failure to allow imports of American beef from hormone-treated cows, U.S. trade officials said Monday.
British food exports were omitted from the 100 percent duties to be imposed by Washington because of Britain's support for the U.S. position, said Peter Scher, agriculture trade negotiator for the U.S. Trade Representative's office.
The $30 million in pork tariffs are part of a planned $116.8 million in retaliatory tariffs for beef sales lost to U.S. cattlemen announced earlier this month. The figure comes on top of some $191.4 million in duties Washington imposed earlier this year against the EU for failing to change its banana import rules.
"This is the second time in a row that the EU has failed to honor its WTO obligations," Scher told reporters. "We hope that the EU will see this record as undermining the credibility of the WTO dispute settlement process.... It alone cannot ignore the rules of the world trading system."
U.S. trade officials decided to target France, Germany, Denmark and Italy for the bulk of the punishment because the four countries influence the EU policy on beef imports, Scher said. Of the total $116.8 million in duties, France and Germany will each be targeted for about 24 percent, Italy 21 percent and Denmark 15 percent, he said.
In addition to the $30 million worth of pork tariffs, other products facing steep duties include truffles, goose liver pate, mustard, chocolates and raspberry jam.
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