Cheaper imports? Hell yeah! The July 5 announcement that the EU and Japan are about to finalise a trade agreement that would impact import tariffs on a wide range of products was met with abundant joy by Tokyo's fromage-starved population.
After all, us cheese-lovers have spent years saving up a significant portion of our salaries to finally be able to spend it on a meagre slice of imported cheese or wine in a lactose- or grape-induced frenzy, only to weep at the amount of yen burned once the rush wears off.
The other tariffs set to be abolished under the prospective deal, including those on leather products – hey, cheaper shoes and bags – chocolate and pasta, really do pale in comparison to this news.
It was all the result of some rather sticky negotiations. One of the main snags for the Japanese government was the abolishment of tariffs on soft cheese – a product that Japanese farmers make as well, unlike harder cheeses such as gouda or parmigiano. The idea of the market being flooded with cheaper Italian and French soft cheeses sent shivers down many a dairy farmer's spine.
The J-gov had even managed to craft an exemption clause in the controversial (and now shelved) Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP): tariffs on hard cheeses would be abolished, while those on soft cheeses would be kept. Now that's a cheesy distinction.
Luckily for us, the EU – home of mozzarella, ricotta, brie, camembert and much more – were firm in their commitment, and with a bit of nagging (the Japanese minister in charge is said to have walked out of negotiations at this point), managed to overcome the problem.
There's a catch, however: under the deal, cheese tariffs are supposed to be abolished over a period of 15 years. So yes, it might take until 2032 for your camembert to be a full 29.8 percent (the current tariff) cheaper. And that's if the purveyors actually stick to their pricing and inflation is not taken into account, of course.
To not completely freak out dairy farmers, the government has also agreed to set up a quota for the amount of tariff-free cheese that would become available, with stricter limits on soft cheeses vis-a-vis hard ones. That means you're more likely to see cheaper edam, cheddar and pecorino than a bargain neufchâtel.
But that's not to say we can't go out with some really good news: wine tariffs are set to be eliminated as soon as the treaty comes into force, while those in Europe will see their sake become tariff-free immediately as well. Cheers to that.