Three members of Maine’s Congressional delegation are once again pressing the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to help out the state’s lobstermen when it comes to pursuing trade deals.
On Friday, 15 November, the lawmakers urged U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to make a deal with the European Union that would eliminate tariffs on lobster imports in E.U. nations.
Currently, live U.S. lobsters face an 8 percent tariff. However, live Canadian lobsters are not taxed, giving them a distinct competitive edge.
U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King joined U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree in writing a letter to Lighthizer.
“We urge you to continue to strive for the elimination of the E.U. tariff on Maine lobster,” the lawmakers wrote. “Our fishermen and dealers deserve tariff-free access to the European market, and we look forward to continuing our work with you to achieve that goal.”
Canadian companies are likely to gain an even larger foothold in the lobster industry as another trade agreement with the E.U. would phase out tariffs on frozen and processed lobster products. Similar U.S. products still face a 16 to 20 percent tariff.
The U.S. lobster market is battling two fronts in the administration’s ongoing trade wars abroad.
China tacked on tariffs on U.S. lobsters last year in response to U.S. levies on a variety of Chinese goods. As a result, the Maine International Trade Center noted the state’s lobstermen saw a once-growing market in China fall by 84 percent.
The three lawmakers, along with fellow Maine U.S. Representative Jared Golden, wrote to Lighthizer back in February asking for his help on the Chinese front. Golden did not sign on to the 15 November letter; a SeafoodSource request made to Golden’s Washington D.C. office for comment has not yet received a response.
King, Collins, and Pingree noted the lost business from China again in Friday’s letter as well.
“Having all but lost the large and growing Chinese export market due to retaliatory Chinese tariffs on American lobster, Maine lobster producers and dealers must find new customers for our state’s most iconic product,” the delegation wrote. “European buyers would undoubtedly purchase more Maine lobster if, like Canadian lobster, our product entered the E.U. tariff-free.”
Photo courtesy of spwidoff/Shutterstock
