March 19, 2009
US meat, grains escape Mexico's new import tariffs
Mexico announced Wednesday (Mar 18) the 90 US products that will be subject to a new import tariff of up to 20 percent, with US meat and grains escaping the costly fate.
The list of 90 products did not include those that form part of the food basket like beef, pork, and poultry, said a spokesman from the Agriculture Ministry.
Mexico had earlier confirmed that the tariff scheme would avoid increasing prices for local consumers, meaning the scheme would not be applied to feed grain ingredients and meat products.
The news would cheer the US meat sector, which had been worried about the tariff scheme as Mexico is one of its top export markets.
The increased tariffs were believed to be a retaliation of a ban of full access of Mexican freight trucks to US highways. The programme was effectively shut down after a bill prohibited spending on it.
The tariff increase is expected to begin Thursday.
