Argentina has lost a dispute at the World Trade Organisation, with a panel ruling that its safeguard duties on imports of preserved peaches were erected in a way that broke WTO rules, namely its General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and its Safeguards Agreement.


The panel concluded that Argentina had failed to “evaluate all the relevant factors” causing problems for its fruit industry before imposing extra duties on imports of peaches preserved in water containing added sweetening matter, including syrup.


It added that Buenos Aires also had failed to provide a “reasoned and adequate explanation” of its action and also that it had not found that “serious injury was clearly imminent,” as required by the WTO rules.