“I am saddened and concerned by the decisions of the current US administration, a country with which we have a historic alliance, but also deep ties of friendship and culture. Our many compatriots who have emigrated to the US have helped to spread our cuisine, Italian products, and the Italian “way of life” that is so loved and imitated overseas. In this context, the decision to impose tariffs of 30%, even higher than the 20% officially announced last April, is causing great concern for Italian companies. For the dairy sector, the situation is even worse because this percentage is likely to be added to the 15% already in force. For Gorgonzola Pdo, the US is a market worth over €3 million, with 387 tons of product exported each year. Considering an average price per kilo of €10.00, Gorgonzola will cost American consumers about twice the current price!
We are told that the only way to avoid tariffs is to start producing in the US, but our PDO and PGI agri-food products are, by their very nature, linked to the territories where the raw materials originate, so it is not a question of relocating, but of eliminating our production and traditions. Is it possible that an allied Country could ask this of us? At this point, it is essential that our institutions support, with conviction and all their might, a unified negotiation by the European Union. Only together can we have the strength to counter the American giant and the aggressive policy of the current Trump administration”.
