November 9, 2020 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:
Today’s news that the European Union will place tariffs on about $20 million worth of annual United States seafood exports to the EU is disappointing. The seafood communities in the U.S. and EU have long enjoyed a trade relationship that has created tens of thousands of jobs and, most recently, been poised to expand.
It makes no sense that a World Trade Organization dispute about planes that fly 40,000 feet above where fish swim should include seafood. Now, given missteps by both sides, American workers and families will suffer.
The new tariffs come at a time when the seafood industry in both the U.S. and EU are focused on rebuilding and reopening. Such trade barriers distract from this important economic recovery.