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Brazil complains of EU protectionism
Brazilian poultry exporters say the European Union is planning to
impose protectionist tariffs on processed products, including salted chicken
breast, processed chicken and turkey.
Brazilian poultry meat exporters have accused the EU of preparing to adopt
protectionist measures to stop increased Brazilian chicken meat exports, which
have been growing at 20 percent per year according to the Brazilian Association of
Chicken Producers and Exporters (ABEF).
The EU is expected to announce the export quotas on September 15.
"The protectionist measure is seen by the sector as below the belt and could
complicate negotiations between the European Union and Mercosul, seeing as the
Europeans have shown a lack of willingness to open up their agribusiness
market," the ABEF said.
Exports that exceed the quota will have to pay a tariff of Euro 1,024 per
metric ton in the case of processed meats and Euro 1,300 per metric ton for
salted breast meat. According to the ABEF, the European Union takes in 87
percent of all Brazil's processed poultry exports.
"The Europeans say they want to get back to negotiations with Mercosul, but a
protectionist measure like this shows they have no intention of discussing the
opening up of farming," Ricardo Gonçalves, president of ABEF, remarked.
The imposition of new tariffs on processed poultry products is causing
similar concern
in the poultry processing industry in Thailand that also has a significant
export trade with the European Union.
Officials from Brazil
and Thailand met recently to discuss the poultry tariffs, and bilateral
trade between the two countries.
Editor WorldPoultry
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