When US trade representatives (USTR) rejected the latest EU reform proposals aimed at resolving the banana trade war last week, they prompted a war with the biggest US domestic banana trader, Dole Food.
Last Friday (7 October), Dole announced its support of the EU plan and condemned the failure of USTR Charlene Barshefsky to consult the company before rejecting the EU offer. Frank Samolis, a lawyer for Dole Food explains that: “We are puzzled as to why USTR did not consult with half of U.S. industry.” In addition he expressed his belief that Barshefsky was wrong to claim that EU proposals are inconsistent with WTO rules: “We cannot understand why the U.S. has thrown cold water on this proposal.”
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Spokesmen from the EU and Ecuador believe that the rejection was a conscious move that favoured Dole’s main US competitor, Chiquita Brands International. Barshefsky has written to fifteen EU member governments recommending that negotiations continue with plans backed by Chiquita, but not Dole.
The USTR are declining to comment on Dole’s complaints.
