US/EU trade talks go down to the wire

Jim2007 · 08-08-2025 11:06AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123699827#Comment_123699827

Why would you think they don't know? Scott Bessent is a former hedge fund manager, do do serious think he does not know the stuff that is being said around the world???? It's just that they are over estimating their role in it.

Red Silurian · 08-08-2025 11:13AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123706190#Comment_123706190

Not as big an issue. Pharma and aviation are exempt for now

People pay the extra for swiss banking and watches. Not so much for Irish cheese and butter

selectamatic · 08-08-2025 11:54AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123706230#Comment_123706230

Americans seem to be paying the extra for Irish cheese and butter at the moment though, it wasn't exactly cheap over there as it stood.

Shur even the Kardashian's use Kerrygold butter.

Red Silurian · 08-08-2025 01:57PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123706358#Comment_123706358

Tariffs only came in to play a few days ago, the effect on Irish exports has likely not been felt yet. But if businesses here do start going south we need to look at other markets and not be so reliant on the USA for our exports

selectamatic · 08-08-2025 02:10PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123706813#Comment_123706813

I know that, my post was in reference to how things stood.

Irish dairy products have never been cheap in America.

So basically our cheese and butter have a similar standing among dairy products as Swiss watches do among watches.

Hotblack Desiato · 13-08-2025 03:05PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123692101#Comment_123692101

Far too many "me too" distilleries opened here in recent years hopping on a bandwagon. But it's a very capital intensive business which literally takes years to make a return, and when you finally have some of your own spirit old enough to sell you find that 20-odd new "me too" Irish whiskey brands have sprung up in the meantime.

Waterford and in particular Killarney had business plans which could best be described as flights of fancy and that's not even considering the effect of proposed or actual tariffs.

Hotblack Desiato · 13-08-2025 05:52PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123706813#Comment_123706813

Kerrygold was already under a 16% tariff in the US.

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2025/0728/1525781-behind-the-story/

Red Silurian · 19-08-2025 09:44AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123720196#Comment_123720196

So a very slight reduction for Kerrygold

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123719756#Comment_123719756

Isn't this what our government wants though?

Higher alcohol prices - the whole point of MUP and the various duties that we have in place?

Hotblack Desiato · 19-08-2025 11:02AM

This thread has got nothing to do with retail alcohol prices in Ireland or MUP.

But even with tariffs, a bottle of Irish whiskey should be cheaper in the US than in a shop here… problem is the huge amount of domestic competition at around half the price.

greenfield21 · 21-08-2025 11:16AM

So with this new agreement framework, the max levy on pharma will be 15% on EU. Trump must have finally realised he needs to change tax laws. I am still not sure how a few promises from pharma is a win here, and that is a huge win for Ireland.

Hotblack Desiato · 24-08-2025 01:00AM

Cop-on might finally descend on the administration.

Here's a clue orange fella - other countries don't pay the tariffs you impose. Your voters do.

Red Silurian · 27-08-2025 02:45PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123735660#Comment_123735660

It's to do with trumps tariffs, of which alcohol prices is a part of. Our government want higher prices so surely this suits their narrative?

It would be hugely ironic for our govt to impose high tariffs on alcohol here while at the same time looking for lower tariffs in America

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123748937#Comment_123748937

I wouldn't hold my breath

Seth Brundle · 27-08-2025 02:51PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123759387#Comment_123759387

The government here are not looking for higher prices. The law around MUP is, as per the acronym, around minimum unit pricing. It sets a minimum price so that alcohol cannot be sold below cost, etc as some retailers had been doing. The goal behind MUP was to cut consumption of cheap strong alcoholic drinks - not to reduce consumption or trade overall.

This has nothing to do with tariffs and I'm surprised that you appear confused between the two.

As for tariffs set by the US - the governments of the EU (including our own government) want minimum barriers to trade, which of course a tariff is.

Red Silurian · 27-08-2025 04:20PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123759409#Comment_123759409

MUP and the duties on alcohol are designed to increase prices and therefore to reduce consumption. If trump adds 15% to a bottle of whiskey in the land of the dreamers it reduces consumption, surely that's a good thing

Seth Brundle · 27-08-2025 05:46PM

MUP sets a minimum price but is not a tax and raises no income for government so like I said and, despite your nonsense, it is nothing like tariffs!

Hotblack Desiato · 27-08-2025 06:00PM

If he added it to all spirits, maybe. But adding it only to imported products is just a trade barrier. Even Trump isn't stupid enough to try to portray that as a health measure (not that he cares about health anyway, look who he appointed to run it)

Red Silurian · 28-08-2025 09:38AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123759913#Comment_123759913

It is essentially a tax, main difference is the benefactors are the retailers and to an extent the VAT take. Consider this with duties on alcoholic products it's all designed to make the price of alcoholic products higher and curtail the consumption. Trump is doing just that in the US with Irish Whiskeys, surely the Irish govt would be happy with this?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123759959#Comment_123759959

It's not trump portraying it as a health measure, it's the Irish govt

Hotblack Desiato · 28-08-2025 03:25PM

You can't call MUP a tax. Taxes go to the government. MUP goes to the alcohol industry.

The Irish government are not portraying tariffs as a health measure, and as far as spirits are concerned, only own-brand or heavily discounted Xmas etc. offers were affected by MUP.

Some of these own-brand vodkas were sold for less than the cost of the bottle, duty and VAT leaving nothing to pay for the product! I detest MUP, but that was crazy.

Peregrinus · 02-09-2025 06:50AM

It is essentially a tax, main difference is the benefactors are the retailers and to an extent the VAT take. Consider this with duties on alcoholic products it's all designed to make the price of alcoholic products higher and curtail the consumption. Trump is doing just that in the US with Irish Whiskeys, surely the Irish govt would be happy with this?

No, not at all. Rightly or wrongly, the Irish government wants to minimise the public health/social harm consequences of (relatively) cheap high-strength alcohol. But they want to do this in Ireland; public health and social harm in the US, or any other country, is not their concern.

US tariffs will raise the price of imported alcoholic drinks in the US, but this does absolutely nothing to advance the policy agenda that underpins MUP, which has to do with public health and social harm in Ireland, so it's not seen as remotely positive. And, as it may reduce Irish exports to US and cause economic harm to Irish exporters, that's very much a negative.

CowboyTed · 05-09-2025 10:20AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123706861#Comment_123706861

I was chatting to a cousin who is working on Dubliner Cheese…

He said that Ireland is in a sweet spot of not being artisan but a high quality semi mass produced cheese… He said there is a lot of low quality cheap cheese in US, Dubliner sits above them but not all the way into the French and Swiss type. The US market has a large set of upper middle class thats palette might not always welcome the stronger flavours and a more welcoming of Irish milder high quality… Kind of thing you can have at parties which shows you aren't cheap but everyone will eat…

KerryGold Butter is the branding juggernaut, it is the Kardisans butter(butter used by royals) in your local supermarket at an attainable price…

CowboyTed · 05-09-2025 10:30AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123777694#Comment_123777694

The way US sell high strength alcohol is scary, they are allowed to sell watered down stuff…

I am not hugely worried for the Irish Whiskey market… Most of our Whiskey producers shipped all their stock to US last February and are keeping it stocked until the tariff come in… They have got a year supply without much trouble… The Scottish I presume have done the same thing…

Let's presume Democrats get power in Congress in Jan 2027, those tariff are gone over night. Democrats will be campaigning on that and every country in World will be towing a line of make US Economy hurt until they change Government.

But even when/if prices increase, it will just make Irish and Scottish Whiskey more exclusive… The $200 bottle of Whiskey become $230, the market will perceive a higher quality… The US market is very much price equals quality…

Look at the Golf Courses on the West Coast of Ireland, all of them were told to increase their prices because Yanks don't think they are worth playing unless they are paying… I know that is screwed up but that is the mentality.

Hotblack Desiato · 05-09-2025 02:37PM

every country in World will be towing a line of make US Economy hurt until they change Government.

If the US economy ends up hurting, it'll be entirely because of the brainless actions of the US president

Kermit.de.frog · 05-09-2025 07:56PM

I think the EU needs to exercise a bit of common sense with these fines. They know full well the US administration is not going to tolerate this any more.

https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2025/0905/1532027-google-antitrust-fine/

Frank Bullitt · 05-09-2025 08:17PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123789492#Comment_123789492

The EU will just wait, that is all they need to do.

The only predictable thing about this administration is that they always change their minds, TACO is a thing after. All bark, no bite.

Sit tight, let them stew.

Dr Robert · 05-09-2025 08:19PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123789492#Comment_123789492

Who cares. Don't give in to Trump and his bully tactics. **** them. Trump and Co will be gone in a little over 3 years. If he even lasts that long.

Hotblack Desiato · 06-09-2025 05:02AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123789492#Comment_123789492

The orange idiot will be either dead or out of office within 3 and a bit years, no point changing strategy over a blow in the wind.

TACO is a thing

FAFO is also a thing and most of Mr T's policies will only damage the US economy. He and his supporters are just too thick to understand the principles of international trade. So much for putting a "businessman" in the White House. In reality he's a useless nepo baby.