The smelly cheese war

The measure,announced by US Trade Representative Susan Schwab as she headed out the door,was in retaliation for a European Union ban on imports of US beef containing hormones.

Roquefort, American officials said,is one of dozens of European luxury products attacked with high tariffs. The list includes French truffles,Irish oatmeal,Italian sparkling water and “fatty livers of ducks and geese,” which apparently is how Washington trade bureaucrats say foie gras.

The cheese producers and sheep farmers around Roquefort are not amused. In their view,this unfairly undermines the economy of Roquefort,which depends entirely on cheese and the well-being of the 4,500 people who herd special ewes on 2,100 farms producing milk for Roquefort. Said Robert Glandieres,a sheep farmer who heads the Regional Federation of Ewe Raisers’ Unions,“It’s a little bit of a provocation.” It’s not the first provocation in the history of the Roquefort war. The United States first imposed unusual 100 per cent tariffs on Roquefort in 1999,when the dispute with the European Union over hormoned-up beef first got nasty.

Several years later,then-President Jacques Chirac added to the irritation in Washington with his criticism of the US invasion of Iraq. It was the time of “freedom fries” in the US and of disdain for things French,including Roquefort.

President Nicolas Sarkozy has tried to put U.S.-French relations back on a more friendly footing. But Glandieres said residual irritation may have been at work at the US trade representative’s office. He also acknowledged that the French government had led the charge against US beef in Europe.

The proportion of Roquefort exported to the United States is small,amounting last year to only 450 tons out of 19,000 produced and 3,700 in total exports. Spain,with 1,000 tons,is the largest foreign customer.

There is hope that President Obama’s administration,free of baggage from the dispute over Iraq,will prove more sympathetic to France. But Glandieres noted that Obama has a lot to deal with. “I don’t think Roquefort will be the first thing on his mind,” he said.

Roquefort’s dilemma has become a symbol for many communities in France where globalization seems to intrude on long-cherished traditions.