New tariffs on EU food will boost prices, cost U.S. jobs: industry | Progresiv
New 25% U.S. tariffs on Italian cheese, French wine, Scotch whisky, British biscuits, Spanish olives and thousands of other European food products will lead to higher prices ahead of the holiday season and cost American jobs, trade groups said. 
The U.S. Trade Representative’s Office said it was imposing tariffs on hundreds of European products after the World Trade Organization gave the green light to the action in response to EU subsidies on large aircraft.
The Specialty Food Association said in a statement the tariffs would decrease sales and adversely impact U.S employment at 14,000 specialty food retailers and 20,000 other food retailers across the United States. The impact would be “dramatic,” the trade group said.
Higher prices “will hit Americans in the wallet just as the holiday season is approaching,” the group said. “The cheese/charcuterie board that currently cost you 45 dollars will put you back 60 dollars after tariffs. The treats you provide your family to celebrate Thanksgiving and the year-end holidays may become out of reach.”
Single-malt whisky represented over half of the total value of British products on the U.S. tariff list, amounting to over 460 million dollars, according to the Scotch Whisky Association.
Tariffs on Scotch whisky, liqueurs and cordials, and wine could affect nearly 3.4 billion dollars in imports “and could lead to a loss of approximately 13,000 U.S. jobs, including truckers, farmers, and bartenders and servers in the hospitality industry,” the Distilled Spirits Council said.
In June 2018, the EU imposed 25% tariffs on American whiskey in response to U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs. The EU is now considering more tariffs on additional U.S. spirits and U.S. wine as part of a separate WTO civil aviation investigation.
Since the new EU tariffs, American whiskey exports have declined 21 percent. (www.reuters.com)
