21 January 2009 - The Bush administration's decision to triple duty on roquefort cheese to 300% as part of a long-running dispute with the EU over restrictions on imports of U.S. hormone-treated beef has alarmed French authorities who believe the act is 'unjustified' and hope that dialogue with the new Obama administration will help to solve the matter.
France’s main producer of the cheese, the Roquefort Société, has strongly protested the US decision and believes that the victims will be the US consumers who will be forced to travel to Europe to get a taste of the world-famous cheese.
In a statement sent to FLEXNEWS, Roquefort Société’s general manager, Thierry Zurcher, commented: "This is damaging to our company, we think it will lead to the end of the sales of Roquefort in the United States. As we were already taxed at 100% for ten years, we had maintained our sales, but compared with 300% now, it becomes impossible to sell no more Roquefort Société in the U.S. Why Roquefort is the sole product to be taxed at such a level ?"
"We have to underline that Roquefort is not only a symbol, but also an industry, with 2100 farmers and 2000 workers in less-favoured regions from the southern part of France. They become the hostages of a political dispute which has nothing to do with them".
Roquefort Société said that it will examine various solutions to find other opportunities to maintain its export activity to the US.
Roquefort Société, part of dairy producer Lactalis, is France’s leading producer of roquefort. The company owns several caves and accounts for around 60% of all national production.
EU law dictates that only those cheeses aged in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon may bear the name Roquefort, as it is a recognised geographical indication, or has a protected designation of origin.