隨著美國總統(tǒng)唐納德·特朗普采取強硬手段擴大貿(mào)易保護范圍，從中國的鋼鐵、加拿大的木材到西班牙的食用橄欖都列入盯防對象，愛吃零食的美國人享受美食的機會將不可避免受到影響。

美國商務部正調(diào)查西班牙是否向美國市場傾銷橄欖，西班牙橄欖口感溫和，味道略偏干，主要用來做三明治、沙拉和披薩。支持本地區(qū)生產(chǎn)商的歐盟委員會已出手干預，歐洲大陸主要農(nóng)場游說團體也批評不斷。

近日,在投票中，美國國際貿(mào)易委員會一致通過，將與商務部同步展開調(diào)查。調(diào)查結束后，今年晚些時候美國政府可能對西班牙產(chǎn)橄欖征收懲罰性關稅，可能導致進口停滯。

上述調(diào)查是美國擴大貿(mào)易保護范圍的最新舉措，其針對產(chǎn)品包括鋼鐵、鋁，也包括乳制品、木材和玉米，相對來說食用橄欖市場很小。但對西班牙這個全球最大食用橄欖生產(chǎn)國而言，美國是最大的客戶，也是最重要的市場，對美出口量占橄欖總出口量的24%。

歐洲生產(chǎn)商認為，此番受調(diào)查針對很不公平，美國農(nóng)場主則認為西班牙是國內(nèi)產(chǎn)業(yè)的巨大威脅。美國幾乎所有橄欖都產(chǎn)自加州，從加州成立之初就已有種植。

“我的三個兒子都在種橄欖，長孫也有意繼承祖業(yè)，”69歲的加州種植園主丹尼斯·布勒森說，“種橄欖是一種夢想。可現(xiàn)在我們對夢想會不會成真已經(jīng)沒了把握?！辈祭丈诩又萜婵剖懈浇N有4萬棵橄欖樹。

上月美國商務部表示，將調(diào)查西班牙向美國出口的所謂熟橄欖是否存在低于合理價格傾銷行為。當時商務部部長威爾伯·羅斯在聲明中提到，美國“將迅速行動，制止一切不公平的貿(mào)易行為?！?

雖然橄欖市場比木材和鋼鐵小得多，但美國極為依賴進口橄欖。去年美國從國外購買了16.7萬公噸橄欖，幾乎一半來自自西班牙，其他來源還包括希臘、墨西哥和摩洛哥。

該調(diào)查啟動的原因是，今年6月美國熟橄欖公平貿(mào)易聯(lián)合會提出申訴。該行業(yè)組織代表的兩家會員Bell-Carter Foods Inc.和Musco Family Olive Co.認為，過去幾十年里歐洲國家一直提供補貼，西班牙產(chǎn)橄欖才能在美國零售市場份額持續(xù)增加，同期美國橄欖業(yè)銷售則加速下滑。

美國國內(nèi)僅有不到900家農(nóng)場種植食用橄欖，多家正在減產(chǎn)。布勒森的橄欖樹占地約162萬平方米，是規(guī)模較大的之一。八個月前，他的橄欖種植面積也減少了十分之一。Bell-Carter Foods的首席執(zhí)行官蒂姆·卡特說，這意味著，加工橄欖的供應量減少。Bell-Carter Foods是美國僅存的兩家橄欖加工企業(yè)之一，半個世紀以前加工企業(yè)有20多家。

“我們已經(jīng)走到生死關頭?！笨ㄌ亟邮懿稍L時說。

對西班牙來說，美國是最關鍵的市場。西班牙食用橄欖出口商協(xié)會Asemesa預計，如果美國采取限制措施，未來五年西班牙橄欖產(chǎn)業(yè)可能會損失3.5億歐元（約合4.14億美元）。

Asemesa的秘書長安東尼奧·德莫拉指出，美國生產(chǎn)商希望通過起訴打擊西班牙進口橄欖從而贏得競爭，但最終會傷害美國消費者。他說，本次起訴打擊的范圍不僅包括橄欖，還令歐盟“統(tǒng)一農(nóng)業(yè)政策的基礎受到質疑?！?

一位歐盟委員會發(fā)言人在回應稱，自美方起訴以來，歐盟委員會一直跟進此案進展，向西班牙生產(chǎn)商提供法律支持。該發(fā)言人稱，“歐盟委員會已經(jīng)介入，將捍衛(wèi)西班牙生產(chǎn)商遵循世界貿(mào)易組織規(guī)定向美國出口的權力。”

28個歐盟成員國的農(nóng)民協(xié)會組織Copa Cogeca警告，美國啟動此項調(diào)查之后，也可能在其他領域向其他歐盟貿(mào)易伙伴國動手。

該組織秘書長佩卡·佩松恩通過聲明表示：“Copa and Cogeca認為，美國作為歐盟農(nóng)產(chǎn)品主要出口市場，如果今后可以無正當理由就對我們的農(nóng)產(chǎn)品采取保護主義措施，這是不可接受的?！保ㄘ敻恢形木W(wǎng)）

譯者：Pessy

審稿：夏林

American snack lovers may find President Donald Trump’s tough-on-trade policies encroaching a little close to home as the U.S. widens its gaze from Chinese steel and Canadian lumber to Spanish table olives.

The Commerce Department is investigating whether Spain is dumping its olives -- specifically the mild, slightly drier black types used in sandwiches, salads and pizzas -- on the U.S. market. The move has prompted intervention by the European Commission in support of its producers and drawn criticism from the continent’s main farming lobby.

The U.S. International Trade Commission, which is investigating the claim in tandem with Commerce, voted unanimously to proceed with the inquiry. The investigation may result in punitive tariffs later this year that could pull the plug on Spanish olive imports.

The probe is the latest in a growing list of products being targeted by the U.S., ranging from steel and aluminum to dairy, lumber and corn. The market is tiny by comparison. Yet for Spain, the world’s biggest producer, the U.S. represents a crucial market as its top customer, accounting for 24 percent of the nation’s olive exports.

While European producers argue they’re being unfairly targeted, U.S. farmers see Spain as an existential threat to an industry that’s as old as California, where almost all U.S. olives are grown.

"My three sons are all farming olives, and my oldest grandson is interested too," said Dennis Burreson, 69, who cultivates 40,000 olive trees near Chico, California. "That’s kind of the dream, but it’s getting to the point where you don’t know if the dream will be real."

The Commerce Department said last month it was looking into whether the Spanish imports of so-called ripe olives are being dumped in the U.S. market at less than fair value. The U.S. "will act swiftly to halt any unfair trade practices,” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement at the time.

While the olive market is much smaller than lumber or steel, the U.S. relies heavily on imports. The country bought 167,000 metric tons of foreign olives last year, almost half of which came from Spain. The U.S. also imports olives from countries including Greece, Mexico and Morocco.

The investigation followed a June complaint filed by the Coalition for Fair Trade in Ripe Olives on behalf of its two members, Bell-Carter Foods Inc. and Musco Family Olive Co. They argue that a decades-long industry decline has been accelerated by European subsidies that allowed Spanish olives to take more of the domestic retail market share.

Fewer than 900 table-olive farmers remain in the U.S., and many that are left are decreasing production. Burreson, who at 400 acres of trees is one of the larger farmers, pulled out 40 acres of olives eight months ago. That means less supply for processing, said Tim Carter, chief executive officer of Bell-Carter Foods, one of two processors still in business compared with more than 20 a half-century ago.

"This has become a matter of our survival," he said in an interview.

For Spain, the U.S. is a crucial market and the potential restrictions could cost the local industry 350 million euros ($414 million) within five years, according to exporters association Asemesa.

U.S. producers are using the complaint to try to eliminate the competition that the exports of the Spanish operators pose, which would hurt American consumers, said Asemesa Secretary General Antonio de Mora. The complaint also reaches beyond just olives, as it “calls into question the basic pillars of the common agricultural policy” of the EU, he said.

The European Commission has followed the case since the complaint was made and is providing Spanish producers with legal support, a spokesperson said in response to questions. "The European Commission is intervening to defend the rights of the Spanish producers to export to the U.S. in line with the World Trade Organization rules," he said.

The U.S. investigation could set a precedent for other sectors and EU trade partners, the 28-member trade bloc’s farming lobby warned.

"Copa and Cogeca consider it unacceptable that the main EU agri-food export market -- the U.S. -- can impose protectionist measures against our products without justification," the group’s secretary general, Pekka Pesonen, said in a statement.