- Title: In Spain, Trump's tariffs to bite olive oil sector worst - farmers association
- Date: 3rd October 2019
- Summary: MADRID, SPAIN (OCTOBER 3, 2019) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE SPANISH OLIVE OIL EXPORT ASSOCIATION (ASOLIVA), RAFAEL PICO LAPUENTE, SAYING: "It's the worst news we could imagine. I justify the statement, because first, only Spain's olive oil exports have been hit with tariffs and other competing countries that compete with us in the United States have been spared. Olive oil producing countries such as Italy, Greece, and Portugal are not taxed. There are obviously no tariff for countries in north Africa, none for Australia and none for Chile." VARIOUS OF DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE SPANISH OLIVE OIL EXPORT ASSOCIATION (ASOLIVA) RAFAEL PICO LAPUENTE WORKING IN HIS OFFICE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE SPANISH OLIVE OIL EXPORT ASSOCIATION (ASOLIVA), RAFAEL PICO LAPUENTE, SAYING: "Only Spain (Spanish olive oil) gets a 25 percent tariff for bottled olive oil. This means that in United States, where most of our sales are to supermarkets, a 25 percent tariff simply prices (Spanish olive oil) out. I will not be able to sell branded, bottled olive oil in U.S. supermarkets because I am banned from doing so by that tariff." VARIOUS OF SHOPKEEPER ORGANISING BOTTLES OF OLIVE OIL IN SHOP VARIOUS OF BOTTLES OF OLIVE OIL ON DISPLAY GLASS DOOR OF OFFICE OF COAG FARMER'S ASSOCIATION TECHNICAL DIRECTOR CLOSING SPAIN'S FARMERS ASSOCIATION (COAG) TECHNICAL DIRECTOR JOSE LUIS MIGUEL TALKING ON PHONE AND SAYING (Spanish): "What we see is that the olive sector gets the worst hit, in first, second and third place." (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SPAIN'S FARMERS ASSOCIATION (COAG) TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, JOSE LUIS MIGUEL, SAYING: "The sectors most hit by these measures are the olive sector, both in terms of olive oil and olives, that is where they are fundamentally hit, and also wine and cheese may be affected but less so because we are getting information that the sanctions in the wine sector are going to be directed fundamentally at French wine and in the cheese sector at Italy cheese." VARIOUS OF MIGUEL SPEAKING ON THE PHONE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SPAIN'S FARMERS ASSOCIATION (COAG) TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, JOSE LUIS MIGUEL, SAYING: "The Unites States is our main client (outside the EU). It is a market with high purchasing power that adapts well to prestigious, quality Spanish products. This is the case of olive oil and olives."
- Embargoed: 17th October 2019 14:59
- Keywords: tariffs Spanish wine Spanish food Iberian ham U.S. tarrifs olive oil agricultural products European Union United States
- Location: MADRID, EL BURGO & GUIJUELO, SPAIN
- City: MADRID, EL BURGO & GUIJUELO, SPAIN
- Country: Spain
- Topics: Economic Events
- Reuters ID: LVA002AZJMWCN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: U.S. tariffs on European Union products would affect around 1 billion euros ($1.10 billion) of Spanish agricultural products per year, Spanish agricultural association COAG said on Thursday (October 3), adding that the olive sector would be Spain's worst hit sector.
The United States is the biggest market outside the European Union for Spanish agricultural exports such as wine, oil, cheese and olives - all of which are likely to be affected by the tariffs, the association said.
Spain's exports over 400 million euros worth of olive oil to the U.S, Spain's ministry of industry and commerce figures say.
A 25 percent tariff would simply price Spain out of the market, said Rafael Pico Lapuente, director general of the Spanish Olive Oil Export Association.
(Production: Juan Antonio Dominguez, Jon Nazca, Michael Gore, Catherine Macdonald) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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