
The European Union placed tariffs on U.S. grain imports as a response to U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the EU. Reuters says the duties on feed grains will likely hurt the EU’s livestock sector, which relies on imports for its animal feed.
While the U.S. is the biggest supplier of soybeans and a major corn supplier for the EU, the EU’s large trade surplus is a complaint for U.S. President Donald Trump. The European Commission earlier announced plans to impose tariffs worth an extra $28 billion on U.S. imports. This would involve reintroducing tariffs on goods like corn that were suspended after a previous trade battle during Trump’s first term in the White House and imposing duties on April 13 on products from a new list that does include soybeans.
Livestock industry experts say tariffs on grain imports would “adversely affect resilience and competitiveness of EU Livestock.”