Tariffs

Normally, we try to steer clear of politics and international disputes, but as this one has the potential of impacting so many people needlessly, I felt compelled to address it.

As you may have heard, the current US administration is considering increasing tariffs on a variety of products imported from the EU, including olive oil. There are a number of complications related to this, but here's a summary, including the impact on Americans:

1) The US does not produce enough olive oil to meet our consumption requirements. At most, domestic production could account for 5% of demand.

2) The prices of imported olive oil (almost all imported olive oil is imported from EU-member countries) would skyrocket to double current prices.

3) Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the only item on the potential tariff list that is recommended by professionals as an important component of a healthy diet. A tariff on EVOO would effectively result in a tax on health.

4) US jobs will be impacted if imports are decreased as a result of the tariffs and resulting price increases. The imported olive oil industry supports jobs in transportation, warehousing, packaging, and in other areas. 

Clearly, tariffs on olive oil will negatively impact Americans in many meaningful ways. Further, they are unjustified retaliatory measures stemming from a long-running civil aeronautics dispute between the US and the EU. Olive oil has nothing to do with aeronautics.

If you wish to get further information on the topic, a number of organizations have commented, including the North American Olive Oil Association, a US-based organization. You can find information at: https://www.aboutoliveoil.org/petition. There's an online petition there, too, if you wish to get involved.

 


Pericles Konstas
Pericles Konstas

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