The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) believes that the Irish dairy sector can “deal with” the announced tariffs and “become clearer and more stable”.
United States president Donald Trump announced 20% import duty on products from the European Union (EU) on Wednesday, which has a particular impact on Irish dairy and drinks exports.
ICMSA president Denis Drennan said that although tariffs represent a hurdle to the industry, the reputation of Irish cheese and butter stands high among top-end US consumers.
“Tariffs are always a crude economic tool and it’s disappointing, because it comes at a point where the excellence of Irish dairy had really cut through in the US market,” he said.
“To a degree, the response is out of our hands, but we’d caution the Government against allowing other bigger member states to fight a trade war at our expense. Ireland’s economy is more open than our counterparts in the EU and we are more dependent than they are on exports."
ICSA
However, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (ICSA) warned that this “blow to Irish agriculture” could have serious consequences for farmers.
Compared to the EU, the UK and New Zealand - two of Ireland’s biggest competitors for selling agri food - were granted lower tariffs.
“We may not export large volumes of [beef and lamb] to the US, but anything that weakens the EU's overall position in agricultural trade is bad news for our sector," McNamara said. \ Philip Doyle
ICSA president Sean McNamara said that this is a reason for negotiators to step up and find a creative solution.
“We may not export large volumes of [beef and lamb] to the US, but anything that weakens the EU's overall position in agricultural trade is bad news for our sector," he said.
“The US is a key destination for high-value EU food products and if access to that market is curtailed, it will be extremely difficult to find viable alternatives. There is a real danger that this will drive down farmgate prices across all sectors, including beef and lamb.”
Green Party
Meanwhile, the Green Party has described tariffs implemented by Donald Trump’s administration as “economic sabotage”, which will put pressure on US people as much as foreign nations.
Party leader Roderic O’Gorman warned that consumers and producers in sectors such as agriculture will be under pressure.
He called for the Government to look for “like-minded” countries for opportunities in trade.
“We have already seen the efforts in the United States to wreck the renewable energy industry, scrapping supports that had seen wind and solar energy ramp up production over the last four years,” added Gorman.
“We should see this as an opportunity to embed resilience in our economy through diversification, investment in R&D, localising food production and looking to new markets.
“Ireland is particularly exposed due to reliance on corporate tax receipts. Now is the time to invest in indigenous industry and enterprise.”
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The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) believes that the Irish dairy sector can “deal with” the announced tariffs and “become clearer and more stable”.
United States president Donald Trump announced 20% import duty on products from the European Union (EU) on Wednesday, which has a particular impact on Irish dairy and drinks exports.
ICMSA president Denis Drennan said that although tariffs represent a hurdle to the industry, the reputation of Irish cheese and butter stands high among top-end US consumers.
“Tariffs are always a crude economic tool and it’s disappointing, because it comes at a point where the excellence of Irish dairy had really cut through in the US market,” he said.
“To a degree, the response is out of our hands, but we’d caution the Government against allowing other bigger member states to fight a trade war at our expense. Ireland’s economy is more open than our counterparts in the EU and we are more dependent than they are on exports."
ICSA
However, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (ICSA) warned that this “blow to Irish agriculture” could have serious consequences for farmers.
Compared to the EU, the UK and New Zealand - two of Ireland’s biggest competitors for selling agri food - were granted lower tariffs.
“We may not export large volumes of [beef and lamb] to the US, but anything that weakens the EU's overall position in agricultural trade is bad news for our sector," McNamara said. \ Philip Doyle
ICSA president Sean McNamara said that this is a reason for negotiators to step up and find a creative solution.
“We may not export large volumes of [beef and lamb] to the US, but anything that weakens the EU's overall position in agricultural trade is bad news for our sector," he said.
“The US is a key destination for high-value EU food products and if access to that market is curtailed, it will be extremely difficult to find viable alternatives. There is a real danger that this will drive down farmgate prices across all sectors, including beef and lamb.”
Green Party
Meanwhile, the Green Party has described tariffs implemented by Donald Trump’s administration as “economic sabotage”, which will put pressure on US people as much as foreign nations.
Party leader Roderic O’Gorman warned that consumers and producers in sectors such as agriculture will be under pressure.
He called for the Government to look for “like-minded” countries for opportunities in trade.
“We have already seen the efforts in the United States to wreck the renewable energy industry, scrapping supports that had seen wind and solar energy ramp up production over the last four years,” added Gorman.
“We should see this as an opportunity to embed resilience in our economy through diversification, investment in R&D, localising food production and looking to new markets.
“Ireland is particularly exposed due to reliance on corporate tax receipts. Now is the time to invest in indigenous industry and enterprise.”
Read more
Agriculture hardest hit by Trump tariffs
US tariffs a reality Ireland has to grapple with – Heydon
Commission called on to shield EU dairy from US tariffs
Grain Trends: drop in markets as tariffs await
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