Trump decides to repeal tariffs on Irish whiskey

President of the United States Donald Trump announced that he will repeal the US tariff on Irish whiskey. The decision follows appeals from the Irish government and industry representatives who sought the restoration of duty-free trade in spirits between the US and Ireland.

Trump announced the decision on September 13 during the award ceremony of the Irish Open tournament in Dunbeg. According to the American president, the question of scrapping the tariff was raised by the Prime Minister of Ireland Micheál Martin and representatives of the Irish side, as well as by tournament winner Shane Lowry.

"On behalf of the United States of America, I am going to repeal the tariffs on Irish whiskey", Trump said.

At the time of his announcement, Irish whiskey produced in the Republic of Ireland was subject to a 10 percent tariff in the US, which is applied to most imports from the European Union. Previously the rate was 15%, but in July it was reduced to 10%. Exact timing for the tariff scrapping has not yet been announced by Trump.

Meanwhile, British whiskey has already received a separate easing from Washington. In the spring, Trump agreed to scrap tariffs on whiskey from the UK, particularly Scotch and products from Northern Ireland. As a result, the same protected geographical brand Irish Whiskey ended up in different tariff conditions depending on which side of the Irish border it is produced.

For Irish producers, the American market is of key importance. According to Irish Whiskey Association, the value of Irish whiskey exports to the US is about €450 million per year. The industry in recent months has called on Washington to return to the "zero for zero" model, under which trade in whiskey and other spirits between the US and Europe was not subject to tariffs.

Irish producers have emphasized that not only exporters from Ireland benefit from scrapping tariffs. The industries of the two countries are closely linked: Ireland is the largest EU importer of American oak barrels, a significant share of which were previously used for maturing bourbon in Kentucky and other states.

Based on materials from: CNN, Irish Whiskey Association