Dairy products subject to 25 pct US import tariff

Vadimas Ivanovas, head of research and analysis at Enterprise Lithuania, the government's export promotion agency, says the tariffs will adversely affect the country's cheese and other dairy exports.

"Our cheeses will become more expensive there. Our goods' competitiveness will decline. The price increase is large enough to threaten a loss of market share," Ivanovas told BNS.

The analyst noted, however, that the tariffs might still be lifted.

"Just as tariffs can be introduced, they can be cancelled, too. This is the subject of negotiations. Lithuania will negotiate on the lifting of the tariffs as part of the EU, not as an individual country," he said.

Lithuania's dairy exports to the US totaled 9 million euros last year, according to Enterprise Lithuania.

The tariffs took effect just after midnight in Washington, DC after last-minute talks between European officials and US trade representatives ended without agreement.

The World Trade Organization approved the tariffs earlier this month.

The tariffs will apply to EU goods worth a record 7.5 billion US dollars. The EU has said it sees no choice but to respond with its own tariffs on American goods.