Great expectations. This is the current state of mind of Italian food companies regarding the election of Joe Biden to the White House. And it could not be otherwise considering the great damage caused to the main Italian industrial sector by the choices of his predecessor.
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COLDIRETTI: STOP THE TRADE WAR
“We must immediately stop the duties war between the European Union and the U.S., which has already affected exports of Italian food and beverage for a value of about half a billion euros. It has hit typical Italian cheeses such as Grana Padano PDO, Gorgonzola PDO, Asiago PDO, Fontina PDO, Provolone Valpadana PDO as well as cold cuts, shellfish, citrus fruits, soft drinks, and liqueurs.” This is what the president of Coldiretti, Ettore Prandini, said about the last meeting of EU trade ministers on the applying of duties on products imported from the U.S. for a value of 4 billion dollars. In the aftermath of the election of the new president of the United States, Joe Biden, a better climate for international trade is expected.
FILIERA ITALIA: NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE NEW PRESIDENT ARE NEEDED
“The trade war escalation is always a mistake, but it is even more so at a time when the inexorable and progressive pandemic-fueled lockdown in many countries has caused a collapse of world trade, which has fallen to its lowest levels in the last forty years.” This what Luigi Scordamaglia, managing director of Filiera Italia, said about the entry into force of additional European tariffs on US products. Duties of 15% that rise, however, to 25% on many symbols of Made in USA, including ketchup, cheddar cheese, and peanuts.
“We must not miss the opportunity, taking advantage of the change of the U.S. administration, to negotiate and cancel reciprocal duties that also affect our great food excellent products. In the USA, 6 products out of 7 that are sold as ‘Italian’ are actually counterfeit” – Scordamaglia said.
ASSICA HOPES FOR A TRADE POLICY REVISION
“The Trump administration has penalized some Italian cold cuts, but not the PDO hams that are our most exported products. This is why the damage related to U.S. duties has been limited.”
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This is what Davide Calderone, Director of Assica, said, stressing that “the sales of products affected by duties (salami, mortadella and cooked products) were at a time of strong growth and have suffered a slowdown. However, we hope that the new U.S. administration will review its trade policy, eliminating duties for all sectors. Duties go against the concept of free trade and therefore we consider them conceptually wrong” – Calderone said.
GRANA PADANO CONSORTIUM: RESTORE THE DIALOGUE WITH A HISTORICAL BUSINESS PARTNER
A Grana Padano PDO wheel painted half with the Italian tricolore and half with stars and stripes. This is how the Consortium for the protection of Grana Padano PDO celebrated the election of the new President of the United States of America.
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“The cheese wheel – explains Stefano Berni, general director of the protection Consortium – will be sent to the White House in the next few days. A small gesture of good luck that we had also reserved for Joe Biden’s predecessor, who however disappointed our expectations by applying heavy duties on our products. We hope that the cheese wheel, ‘branded’ both with our tricolore and with the colors of the American flag, will help restore an excellent dialogue between our country and the United States. The USA have been always very friendly with high-quality Italian food, and we are bound by mutual admiration and affection” – said Berni.
Joe Biden is therefore called to a decisive change of course, with the approval and support of his First Lady, who has Italian origins. Sicilian roots, which Jill Biden proudly claims.