- Title: French wine and cheese hit by Trump tariffs
- Date: 3rd April 2025
- Summary: NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES, FRANCE (APRIL 3, 2025) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (French) PRESIDENT OF THE BURGUNDY WINE LOBBY, LAURENT DELAUNAY, SAYING: "It was a bit of a paradox for me, because for our sector we felt like we'd escaped the worst of it because we were threatened with 200% tariffs, as you may have heard. So we discovered we'd have 'only' 20%, if I can put it like that."
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: Bordeaux Cognac French wine cheese global trade tariffs
- Location: VARIOUS LOCATIONS, FRANCE
- City: VARIOUS LOCATIONS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Europe,Government/Politics,International Trade
- Reuters ID: LVA002388703042025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: French wine and cheese producers were shocked and anxious on Thursday (April 3) at news of U.S. tariffs announced by President Donald Trump.
Trump on Wednesday unveiled a 10% minimum tariff on most goods imported to the United States - with a higher 20% rate for the European Union - kicking into high gear a global trade war that threatens to drive up inflation and stall U.S. and worldwide economic growth.
Sales of French wine and spirits are expected to slide at least 20% in the United States, the French wine and spirits exporters group FEVS said on Wednesday.
The United States is the biggest export market for France's Bordeaux wine region, and though the head of it's lobby group Allan Sichel said the exact cost of the tariffs was hard to evaluate, the last time Trump imposed them at 25%, a corresponding 25% of the value of exports to the U.S. was lost.
The head of the Burgundy wine lobby said the tariffs were "dramatic" but said as previous threats of a 200% tariff had not materialised, his reaction was mixed as the situation could have been worse.
The U.S. market for the French dairy industry including cheese has doubled in 15 years, according to the head of the lobby group the FNIL, worth 350 million euros ($388 million) last year.
He said he expected the market to stabilise rather than fall with the hit being felt on entry level and mid-range products but that he would wait to do more detailed analysis.
French President Emmanuel Macron will convene all representatives of business sectors hit by the import tariffs announced Wednesday by U.S. President Donald Trump at the Elysee palace later in the day, the French presidency said.
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