February 11, 2011

EU may delay import taxes on feed wheat

The European Union is drawing up proposals to suspend its import duties temporarily on feed wheat and barley to secure animal feed amid tight supplies and soaring global prices, said an EU executive on Thursday (Feb 10).

The European Commission said it raised the idea of suspending the EUR12 (US$16.28) per tonne duty on feed wheat and EUR16 (US$21.71) per tonne duty on feed barley until June 30, 2011 at a meeting of the EU's cereals management committee.

"This is a reaction on the tight supplies on world cereals markets and the idea of the proposal is to help facilitate feed cereals imports from outside the EU and so to reduce tensions on the European markets," the Commission said.

The proposal is likely to be put to a vote by EU government experts at the management committee's next meeting on February 24, the Commission said.