Industry body warns the recently agreed EU-US trade deal creates an uneven playing field for European fresh fruit and vegetable exporters, with potential long-term damage to the sector’s competitiveness and EU budget
Freshfel Europe has expressed “deep concerns and perplexity” at what it has described as the ”asymmetric tariff and non-tariff concessions” for fresh fruit and vegetables within the EU-US trade deal.
It comes after the European Commission released its proposal for the adjustment of customs duties on the import of certain goods originating from the US, as a result of the USA-EU tariff agreement reached end of July 2025.
Freshfel said it had “deep unease” over the trade deal and its process.
”Beyond trade impact or benefit, this agreement raises multiple questions and concerns on fundamental international trade principles,” the association stated.
”The president of the European Commission brought back from Scotland a one-sided and fully asymmetric agreement, with concessions that threaten the reciprocal concept.
”This appalling outreach was brought to EU business after a negotiation process that breached the basic principles of good governance, set aside commitment to transparency requiring meaningful prior stakeholder consultation, and failed to have been subject to a credible impact assessment,” Freshfel continued.
”The deal also significantly weakens the WTO, eroding the principle of the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) clause and other multilateral rules while also deteriorating the integrity of future bilateral trade agreements.”
Outright opposition
Freshfel confirmed it stood in “outright opposition” to the EU–USA trade deal, which is currently in its implementation process.
Despite representing a limited part of the total bilateral trade between the EU and USA, fresh fruit and vegetables had once again been used as a bargaining chip for achieving other objectives, it said, leaving European fresh produce businesses exposed to disproportionate tariffs and unfair balance in regard to non-tariff conditions.
This will further deepen the already existing trade deficit, the association warned.
“Under the proposed deal, imports of US fruit and vegetables into the EU are fully liberalised removing with immediate effect existing tariffs to a full duty exemption,” said Philippe Binard, general delegate of Freshfel Europe.
”On the contrary, EU exporters face a significant rise of tariffs to 15 per cent when accessing the USA market.”
Impacting EU competitiveness
This ”stark asymmetry” hands a competitive advantage to US producers interested in exporting to the EU, he commented, while “severely impacting” the competitiveness of EU fresh produce on the USA market.
Although additional duties will ultimately be borne by US consumers, it will over time limit the volume of EU fresh produce currently exported, Freshfel said, also predicting that the EU’s move to waiver duties on US fresh produce could lead other third countries requesting similar concessions.
In addition, Freshfel pointed out that while the EU has declared its readiness to address US concerns on non-tariff barriers and other climate-related and sustainability matters, there has been no such commitment by the US to resolve long-standing sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures that have blocked or limited EU exports of apples, pears, citrus, tomatoes, and many other products.
“Excessive US SPS rules continue to keep EU fruit and vegetables out of the USA market, while US exporters might gain more access to EU market,” Binard explained.
”The deal also generates conditions for an unequal playing field, between EU operators bound to comply with strict sustainability, climate and food safety requirements – such as CSRD, CDDD or PEFCR monitoring and reporting – while allowing US and other non-EU suppliers much greater flexibility or derogation on societal concerns or climate transition obligations.
”This move totally undermines the trustworthiness of the EU sustainability agenda and the competitiveness of EU business,” he said.
Major financial consequences
The EU’s concession on US tariff conditions also carries non-negligible collateral effects for the EU, with ”major financial consequences”.
Indeed, they will reduce the EU’s own financial revenues by an estimated €12bn, according to Freshfel.
“This will add more pressure on the EU budget, already facing multiple cuts further harming European businesses and EU citizens,” Binard noted.
In the recent discussion of the upcoming MFF, we already experienced the far-reaching implications of budget cuts for agriculture and absence of resources to adjust activity to climate change challenges or to promote a shift towards a more sustainable and healthier diet.”
Freshfel said that, some months ago, the European Commission was considering agriculture as essential for food security.
This now seemed to have changed, it stated.
Generating more uncertainties
”Last July, the president of the European Commission completely forgot its commitments to EU agriculture competitiveness, its engagement to tackle climate change and the need to wisely manage the EU’s own financial resources,” the industry body said.
”This deal was claimed by its protagonists to offer predictability and stability, both essential for long-term business planning and investment.
”At a first glance, it is generating more uncertainties, being placed at the mercy of its counterpart threatening to seek more concessions from its weakened partner,” Freshfel warned.
”This is already happening with the Digital Market Act.”
Freshfel called for policymakers on the EC Council and in European Parliament to reject what it described as a “one-sided agreement” and urgently seek fully reciprocal, non-discriminatory and fair market access conditions that are equally beneficial for EU operators.
”Otherwise, EU sustainability commitments and EU credibility on the global stage are seriously at stake,” it added.
