USA to impose lamb tariff on Australia?
By Boyd Champness
THE head of Americas top farm organisation believes President Clinton will bow to political pressure and introduce trade sanctions on imported lamb, according to Australias Stock and Land newspaper.
American Farm Bureau Federation president Dean Kleckner told Canberras national press club that the six-to-zero decision by the US International Trade Commission (ITC) in favour of a tariff/quota system gave President Clinton little room to move.
But he predicted the President would side with the majority of ITC commissioners and opt for the least harmful option – an import quota of 35,400 tonnes (equal to total 1998 imports) with an above quota-tariff of 20%.
Over its four-year life, the quota would rise to 37,000 tonnes and the tariff would fall.
Australias lamb exports to the USA jumped from 9102 tonnes in 1994 to 17,000 tonnes in 1998. But under the proposal, any attempts to improve on last years figures are likely to result in a 20% tariff.
Mr Kleckner conceded that the action would harm Americas free trade credentials on the eve of the next round of world trade talks, but claimed it would have little practical effect on the lamb trade.
“I would be surprised if you ship much less to us at those levels of tariffs,” he told the press club.