Cranberry products are officially off the list of retaliatory tariffs imposed by the E.U.-- at least until 2021. Congressman Bill Keating met with E.U. officials and ambassadors to get the largest agricultural food product in the state a delay for the imposition of tariffs.
Keating told Boston Public Radio today he thought convincing the E.U. to reconsider duties imposed on cranberry products was a long shot.
“You had to have 28 countries agree,” he said. “It was a hard lift.”
The E.U. had chosen the Massachusetts export as one of its targets after President Trump imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum.
Keating says the tariffs would have hurt the 7,000 employees in the state’s cranberry industry. He stressed that the industry makes up a large part of his district and of the state’s economy.
The change doesn’t apply to all products; cranberry juice, for example, is still on the list affected by European tariffs.
“What was spared was two-thirds of Massachusetts cranberry exports,” Keating said.
He says to his knowledge, cranberries were the only product removed from the list, though he stressed that “overall, we have to do something about the tariff situation.”
“Ultimately who’s going to be paying the tab? Consumers,” said Keating. “I hope we can resolve some of these things quickly before the damage is done.”
The duties on other products, like American peanut butter and bourbon, are scheduled to go into effect in July.
Congressman Bill Keating is a senior member on the Homeland Security Committee, and a ranking member on the Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
