Italy-Argentina: the prosciutto war. Italian exports at risk

A "prosciutto war" has broken out between Argentina and Italy, and prosciutto di San Daniele will no longer be found on tables in Buenos Aires due to the import ban imposed by the country of tango as a protectionist measure, immediately challenged by the European Commission.

Thanks to a national agreement between the Secretariat of Commerce and domestic pork producers, Argentina has in fact decided to block imports of competing Italian products such as the Prosciutto di Parma and San Daniele brands. Argentina's declared objective is to stem the outflow of money in order to stabilize its currency; it is therefore a macroeconomic goal that has little or nothing to do with the rules of trade, but has a strong impact on the South American country's import-export regime.

The Federal Court of Canada had already rejected the appeal brought by the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma, thereby allowing the company Maple Leaf Foods (which holds the "Parma" trademark in Canada) to appropriate the original logo as well. The Parma Consortium will obviously appeal against this decision, and the latest news from Argentina represents a second heavy blow for Italy's protected-designation production.

For Coldiretti, the ban on prosciutto imports from Italy decided by Argentina is an entirely unjustified protectionist measure that has rightly been challenged by the EU Commission before the WTO. At risk are more than 264 tonnes of Made in Italy cured meats exported to the South American country last year.

The closure to prosciutto imports also affects Spain and Brazil, and is the result of a request from breeders and industrial producers in exchange for self-restraint in purchases of pork raw materials abroad and a commitment to improve their own production in the years to come.

The damage to Italian food exports appears evident even though Argentina accounts for only 1% of our country's export market. Prosciutto di Parma recorded a 4% increase last year, with total revenues of 1.5 billion euros, while prosciutto San Daniele's growth abroad was 2%

Article source:italiaatavola.net