The INC submitted a statement against tariffs on almonds and took part in a meeting with EU officials
As noted in the INC’s last industry newsletter, the European Union announced countermeasures on March 12 in response to US President Donald Trump’s 25% tariff on European steel and aluminum, which had just come into effect. The European Commission proposed new countermeasures on US goods, which are expected to come into force by mid-April. The list of US products that could be targeted by these measures includes in-shell and shelled almonds. The amount of the additional duties that would be charged was not announced. The EU elicited stakeholder feedback on the proposed measures via a public consultation that closed on March 26. The INC submitted a position statement expressing opposition to the proposed tariffs on US almonds, arguing that the tariffs would be harmful to EU processors and manufacturers who rely heavily on US almond imports to make value-added food products (confectionary, marzipan, backed goods, snack bars, breakfast cereals, plant-based beverages, etc.), specialized health and nutrition products (protein supplements, gluten-free flours, etc.), and products for the pharma industry.
On March 25, the INC also participated in an online meeting with officials from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade (DG TRADE). Representing the units responsible for trade with the US and trade in agrifood products, the officials listened to arguments against the application of tariffs on US almonds. Convened by FRUCOM, the meeting was attended by representatives of companies in the nut and dried fruit sector as well as industry associations. The consensus position among the industry stakeholders was aligned with the INC’s position that the tariffs would be broadly harmful to EU companies across the value chain.
The EU’s package of countermeasures announced on March 12 also included allowing the suspension of existing 2018 and 2020 countermeasures against the US to lapse. These measures —which include 25% duties on US peanut butter and dried cranberries— were set to come into force on April 1. However, the EU has now decided to delay the implementation of the measures until mid-April, allowing extra time for negotiations. On March 20, European Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič told a hearing at the European Parliament that the entry into force of these measures would be pushed back to mid-April. “We are now considering to align the timing of the two sets of EU countermeasures, so we can consult with Member States on both lists simultaneously,” said Šefčovič. “It also gives us extra time for negotiations to try to find a mutually agreeable resolution.” The European Commission later confirmed that the measures would take effect in mid-April, as reported by Reuters. This delay aligns the timing of the two tranches of countermeasures announced by the Commission on March 12.