U.S. lobsterWashington has given the green light a mini trade deal between the United States and EU, which will eliminate customs duties on U.S. lobster imports. Tariffs will be removed for the next five years, retroactive to 1 August 2020, and the E.U. will work to make the removal permanent.

The dropping of tariffs will put U.S. lobster on a level playing field with Canadian lobster in the EU for the first time in years. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (or CETA), which came into force in 2017, allowed Canadian lobster to enter the bloc tariff free.

food export association of the northeastCommenting on the news, Colleen Coyne, Seafood Program Coordinator at Food Export USA-Northeast said, “Before Canada’s free trade agreement with the EU, the United States was a significant supplier of American lobster to markets throughout Europe. Now, with the European Union’s decision to allow American lobster to be sold into Europe duty-free, the U.S. lobster industry will be able to reclaim lost sales.

“European consumers will benefit from having more buying choices for live lobster and the broader array of lobster products available from the U.S.”