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Rep. Fischbach calls Brazil ethanol tariff “discriminatory” against U.S.

A member of Congress is condemning Brazil for what she calls discriminatory import tariffs on U.S. ethanol.

Minnesota Republican Michelle Fischbach says a tariff rate of 16 percent was re-imposed in February.

“And in addition to that this is a little bit twofold because they put on the tariff, but there are some non-tariff issues (as well). U.S. producers have not been okayed for Brazil’s biofuels program, and that’s been a couple of years. So there’s a couple of things going on there.”

Earlier this month Fischbach and 20 of her colleagues in the U.S. House wrote to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai asking her to address the trade barriers.

“And we really need to push them to work on these things because that’s ridiculous because we have been exporting (to Brazil) and now all of a sudden (there is a tariff so) it’s completely unfair. It’s unfair to the farmers in the U.S. and we need to make sure we push that too.”

Fischbach tells Brownfield Ambassador Tai needs to live up to her obligations and hold Brazil accountable.