Brazilian beef, coffee, orange juice excluded from tariffs

When the United States last week announced new tariffs on Brazilian products after a Section 301 investigation, it exempted beef, coffee and orange juice but imposed tariffs on ethanol, sugar and wood products, DTN/The Progressive Farmer note in an analysis.

The U.S. Cattlemen’s Association said it was disappointed that USTR decided to exempt Brazilian bovine products.

“USTR has acknowledged that Brazil’s practices are harming U.S. commerce,” said USCA President Justin Tupper. “That sends exactly the wrong message — to Brazil, to multinational packers, and to independent U.S. cattle producers. It tells bad actors that they can keep doing what they’re doing and still enjoy premium access to the most valuable beef market in the world.”

“Our message to producers is simple,” Tupper said. “We’re not walking away from this fight. This decision was not the step forward our industry needs — it’s a step backward. USCA will keep fighting for trade policy that matches the reality you live with on your balance sheets, even if today’s decision falls short of that mark.”

Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in a statement posted on X rejected the tariff decision as groundless, and vowed to initiate countermeasures while raise the issue within the framework of the WTO dispute settlement mechanism, CNBC reported.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed that position in a post on X, Quartz noted. “President Lula and his government have not negotiated with the U.S. in good faith,” Rubio wrote. “For the past year, Lula has put his own ego ahead of making a deal for the welfare of the Brazilian people, and these tariffs are the price for that.”