Last week, members of the Florida congressional delegation, led by U.S. Reps. Darren Soto, D-Fla., and Bill Posey, R-Fla., wrote a letter to Acting U.S. Trade Representative, Maria Pagan, expressing concerns over retaliatory tariffs placed by the European Union (EU) on U.S. agricultural products, particularly Florida grapefruits.
Last year, the European Union (EU) imposed approximately $4 billion in tariffs on U.S. grapefruit and other agricultural products. The tariffs, authorized by the World Trade Organization, are punishment for U.S. subsidies for the Boeing Company.
The tariff (on grapefruit) prior to the recent change amounted to approximately 45 cents per carton. The new rate amounts to approximately $6 plus or minus per carton.
In the past, forty percent of Florida’s fresh grapefruit production was intended for EU markets.