Nelson requests investigation of Brazilian orange juice imports

WASHINGTON - At the request of U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, a key Canadian official has agreed to examine allegations that Brazilian Orange Juice for sale in the U.S. is being brought in through Canada to avoid tariffs. The U.S. imposes a tariff on OJ from Brazil but not Canada because of its status as a partner in the North American Free Trade Agreement. On Wednesday, the Florida lawmaker met with and asked Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., Gary Doer, to examine the allegations that Brazil is circumventing U.S. tariffs on foreign orange juice by going through Canada to take advantage of its tariff-free status instead. The amount of orange juice from Canada to the U.S. doubled from 2011 to 2012. The ambassador pledged to look into it. Last August, Nelson also wrote a letter asking the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol to keep an eye out for signs of Brazilian OJ being shipped through Canada for re-importation to the United States. Nelson acted in the wake of a complaint from a Florida citrus growers' trade group alleging Brazilian orange juice processors are circumventing the federal tariff on imports by shipping juice through Canada for re-importation to the U.S.