WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has criticized the policies of the European Union after President Trump declared 20% tariffs on the 27-member trading bloc.
Lutnick, the former CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, supported Trump’s “liberation day” tariffs, scheduled for April 5, emphasizing the inequitable treatment of American goods in international trade.
“The European Union prohibits the import of chicken from the US. They accept lobster from our country. They dislike our beef because it is superior while theirs is inferior.
“We are barred from exporting corn to India. We cannot sell rice to Asian markets. Why do we permit these nations to sell cars? In Japan, 94% of cars are domestically produced.”
The Trump administration applied the highest new tariffs on regions where the US has a trade deficit along with significant tariff and non-tariff barriers.
EU agricultural regulations include banning substances that create hormonal responses in cattle and enforcing US industrial standards for microbial washing and poultry regulations.
In 2015, the EU ended a comprehensive ban on US beef that had lasted for 15 years due to worries about “mad cow” disease, and in 2019, it agreed to gradually raise the 18,500 metric tonne import quota to 35,000 tonnes of beef by 2026.
Nonetheless, US beef exports to the EU still struggle to meet the quota that is hindered by hormone restrictions.
Quota utilization in 2022 was merely 52.9%. As reported by the US Department of Agriculture.
Lutnick’s view on American beef aligns with general perceptions supported by certain evidence.
“Beef consumption within the EU has been on a decline for 20 years, which may be attributed, in part, to inconsistencies in feeding standards, leading consumers to be uncertain about the quality they are buying,” states A. 2022 Academic Articles published in “Animal: The International Journal of Animal Biosciences.”
