Irish exports do not now appear to be under threat from a revised list of products on which the US is threatening to impose punitive tariffs in the banana row with the EU. Buoyed by a World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruling on Tuesday that the EU's banana import regime discriminates against US exporters, Washington published nine product categories subject to tariffs worth $191.4 million (€176.85 million). The figure is equivalent to the annual losses sustained by US companies in the "banana war", as determined by WTO arbitrators.

US trade officials will make a formal request to the WTO on April 19th to impose the sanctions, retroactive to March 3rd.

The US had initially sought authorisation for sanctions worth $520 million on the grounds that the EU had failed to abide by an earlier WTO finding that its banana import policies were discriminatory. Some £3 million in annual Irish exports had been threatened by this original list, including some pork products and some biscuit exports. A spokesman for An Bord Bia last night welcomed the exclusion of these categories from the new list.

Included in the goods which appear on the list of new tariffs are bath preparations, handbags, folding cartons and bed linen.