French wine and spirit exporters, already suffering a slide in their sales on the lucrative US market, face an ominous new hurdle next month when a law aimed at combating bioterrorism comes into effect in the US.
The Bioterrorism Act, due to come into force Dec. 12, streng-thens controls on foreign food products entering the US in a bid to lessen chances of a biological terrorist attack.
"The situation is serious," said Patrick Ricard, head of the association of French wine and spirits exporters (FEVS). "It affects the heart of France, from north to south, west to east. The components of this law pose an enormous complication for dealers because they must register via the Internet. Many of them are unfamiliar with this means of communication and do not speak English."
Wine industry transport specialists have warned that if a French company has not registered with US authorities by Dec. 12 it will find the US market closed to it until all the formalities are completed.
For France that could be costly. Last year, French wine and spirit exports to the US were worth 1.7 billion euros (US$1.9 billion), or 22 percent of all such French sales abroad and 75 percent of all food product sales on the US market, according to Ricard, who is also chairman of the drinks group Pernod-Ricard.
French food product exporters number between 1,100 to 1,200 but the US law could affect 10 times as many people since any bottler whose products could be sold in the US must conform to the new rules.
French wine exports to the US, apart from high-quality Bordeaux vintages, have plunged 25 percent in the last four months, Ricard said.
While the sales slide has coincided with sharp diplomatic differences over the war in Iraq between the US and France, Ricard stressed that the Bioterrorism Act was not directed at French products and has nothing to do with the French stand on Iraq.
French vintages accounted for just 15 percent of all US wine imports in August this year, down from 23 percent in April, according to the FEVS.
And by the end of the year, France could fall from second to fourth place among US wine suppliers after Italy, Australia and Chile.
Ricard said he hoped that the Wine Accord between the EU and the US, adopted in 1983 and renewed 10 times since, will be extended between now and Dec. 31 when it is set to expire.
"It's extremely important for wine but we have to be pragmatic and not exaggerate the situation," Ricard said.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS