The Government of Donald Trump today imposed a tariff on the Spanish olive after reaching the conclusion that this product is imported below its market price thanks to the subsidies it receives.
The tariff varies between 2.31% and 7.24% and is preliminary in nature.
The measure is the result of the investigation that the Department of Commerce opened in July at the behest of the California olive producers grouped in the Coalition for Fair Trade of Mature Olives.
The companies that make up this coalition are Bell-Carter Foods and Musco Family Olive.
“The United States values its relations with Spain, but even friendly countries must comply with the rules,” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement.
“We will continue,” he added, “evaluating all the information related to this preliminary decision while defending US companies and workers.”
The US customs agents will collect with cash deposits the tariff on the Spanish olive from now on.
The investigation against the Spanish olives is one of the 77 due to unfair competition initiated by the Government of Donald Trump, which has made economic protectionism one of its pillars.
Spain exported 70.9 million dollars in olives to the United States in 2016.
