Threat of US tariffs has Italy's parmesan cheese makers up in arms
Makers of Italy's famed parmesan cheese are complaining of a "royal injustice" as their product risks being hit by crippling US tariffs.
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President Donald Trump has threatened a tariff of up to 100 per cent on a number of European food products, including Italian parmesan, olive oil, wine and pasta.
As a result, the price of parmesan in the US could go up from 40 to 60 dollars per kilogram, the head of the parmesan producers association, Nicola Bertinelli, told Monday's La Stampa newspaper.
"According to our estimates, [sales in] the US market could collapse by 80-90 per cent. From today's 10,000 tons we could go down to one or two thousand. An incredible loss for us," he added.
Trump is threatening tariffs as part of a long-running trade war with the European Union on each side's subsidies for aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing.
Bertinelli said it was a "royal injustice" to penalize the agri-food sector for a dispute concerning other industries, and called on the Italian government for help.
The issue is likely to come up during US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to Rome, starting Tuesday. He is due to meet, among others, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.
"I am sure that the friendship between our two governments, between President Trump and Prime Minister Conte will help us solve this problem," Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said late Sunday in an interview with La7 television. (dpa)
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