Mexican tariffs from trucking dispute not over yet

Washington Ag Today August 15, 2011 The agreement between the United States and Mexico to end a dispute over Mexican trucking in the U.S. is still being implemented. That means some of the retaliatory tariffs Mexico imposed on U.S. imports, such as French fries and fruits, remain in place at a reduced level.

Porcari: “Today, 1 ½ billion dollars of the tariffs have been lifted. The other 1 ½ billion will be lifted, we believe, towards the end of September.”

That is John Pocari, Deputy Secretary of Transportation, who says Mexican trucks will start rolling into the U.S. only after extensive safety checks for equipment and drivers are in place. Including;

Porcari: “Background checks for each individual drivers for the Mexican companies. They have to have a very good driving record. We have electronic on-board recorders for the trucks that will be used in that so we know exactly how they are performing and how safely they are performing. We have an extensive safety audit program that is part of that.”

The remaining tariffs are supposed to be removed within five days after the first Mexican trucking firm is granted operating authority in the United States.

In its August Crop Production report the Agricultural Statistics Service estimated alfalfa hay production in Washington this year will be down 17 percent from 2010 at 1.87 million tons. All hay production in the state is forecast to drop eight percent. Alfalfa production in Oregon is forecast to drop six percent from 2010.

I’m Bob Hoff and that’s Washington Ag Today on Northwest Aginfo Net.

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