Washington, June 8 - The U.S. Agriculture Department announced payment levels on Monday for its revived dairy export subsidy program that competitors have complained is a protectionist move that should be withdrawn.
The program pays exporters cash bonuses to exporters who lower their prices to make a sale. Competitors like Australia and New Zealand have made the program a focus at the Cairns group meeting of exporting nations. [ID:nJAK466077]
The USDA set the bonuses at:
* butter - $450 per tonne;
* anhydrous milkfat, butteroil, ghee - $650 per tonne;
* cheddar, colby, gouda, monterey jack, mozzarella, processed American, Swiss and Emmentaler cheese - $100 per tonne;
The subsidies are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and will be considered starting at 9 a.m. (1300 GMT) on Thursday, the USDA said.
The products must be delivered within 120 days, the USDA said.
The United States revived its export subsidies last month to help struggling farmers, saying it was left with no choice after the European Union introduced dairy export subsidies in January. [ID:nN22390696]
The U.S. program will subsidize about 92,000 tonnes of dairy products in total, the USDA has said.