Feta producers are concerned that their exports to the United States will be reduced by at least half following the imposition of a 20% tariff on European Union products by Donald Trump, as the Greek product is a protected trademark of the EU.
Reuters highlights the example of a cooperative from Kalavryta, consisting of 1,200 farmers, with a total production of 140,000 tons and a turnover of €800 million last year. Eight percent of its exports went to the U.S. The cooperative also supplies the Greek market with about 5,000 tons of feta.
“How much of this (the tariff) will be passed on to the final consumer… where the result will end up, remains to be seen,” said the CEO of the cooperative, Konstantinos Latsis.
In addition to feta, olives, cement, aluminum, olive oil, and peach compotes are expected to be the most impacted.
In 2019, Greece was granted an exemption for feta from EU product tariffs, but such an exemption is unlikely this year.
“We need to find a way to redirect these quantities to other markets,” said Christos Apostolopoulos, head of the Dairy Industries Association of Greece, in an interview with Reuters.
Despite the U.S. tariffs, the cooperative from Kalavryta continues to focus on expanding internationally, as the product remains popular in foreign markets.
For 2024, Greece had a trade surplus of about €250 million with the U.S., with exports totaling €2.411 billion and imports at €2.143 billion.
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