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Article: US-EU beef trade spat nears end
- Article from:
- AP Worldstream
- Article date:
- May 6, 2009
- Author:
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The United States on Wednesday dropped its threat of import duties on classic European products like Italian mineral water and French Roquefort cheese after it struck a deal with the European Union to bring a 13-year beef trade spat closer to an end.
Extra import charges were due to start this week on a range of goods from every EU nation except Britain _ including truffles, pork, poultry, beef, oats, sausages and even chewing gum.
With a fifth of all Roquefort cheese going to the U.S., for example, French farmers were begging President Barack Obama to back off from the threat to triple duties for their pungent cheese.
The U.S. duties, announced by the outgoing Bush ...