990824 Mexico Starts 6-Month Review Of U.S. Beef DutiesAugust 10, 1999Mexico City - Mexico will take six months to review preliminary anti-dumping tariffs on imports of beef from the United States, Mexico's Trade Ministry said. “The procedure will take six months,” said Trade Minister Herminio Blanco. The United States is the leading exporter of beef to Mexico, with about 13% of the market. In 1998, Mexico imported more than 187,000 metric tons of U.S. beef, ranging from the finer cuts to beef brains, tripe and tongue, worth $452 million. Mexico will maintain import duties of up to 215% on certain cuts of meat during that time and may increase, lower or abolish them depending on the outcome of further studies by the ministry. Tariffs were slapped on U.S. beef imports on Aug. 2, after Mexico claimed U.S. producers had been selling across the border at artificially low prices. During the next six months, Mexican and U.S. producers will give evidence in defense of their positions. “We will check and validate what we already have or correct the preliminary quotas,” Blanco said. He added that the tariffs were imposed in strict accordance with Mexican law and after “examining more than 600,000 transactions.” The regulation was cheered by Mexican producers while U.S. exporters reacted angrily, saying that if necessary, they would take the case to the World Trade Organization. On Monday, Blanco said he agreed with Mexican farmers that the measures would not trigger a rise in meat prices. “We don't think there will be a major price impact at the border or in the rest of the country,” he stressed. Imports of live cattle were exempt from the quotas.
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