Americans ditch Scottish salmon and whisky in wake of Trump tariffs
Americans ditch Scottish salmon and whisky in wake of Trump tariffs
Tom HaynesFri, June 26, 2026 at 5:30 AM UTC
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Donald Trump introduced a flat tariff of 10pc on most imports from Britain - Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Americans are turning their backs on Scotch whisky and Scottish salmon after Donald Trump's tariffs pushed up prices.
Exports of Scottish salmon to the US almost halved in the three months to March while whisky shipments tumbled by a quarter, according to new figures from the Food and Drink Federation (FDF).
Sales of all British food and drink to the US plunged by more than a quarter, pushing global exports to their lowest level in a decade excluding the pandemic.
Balwinder Dhoot, the FDF's director of sustainability and growth, said: "The numbers are not great. It's the third lowest level of exports we've seen since 2000. This is quite a significant drop."
Exports to the US slumped 28pc to £529.6m, while Britain's food and drink trade surplus with the US collapsed from £359m to just £110m.
Trade declined after Mr Trump introduced a flat tariff of 10pc on most imports from Britain, including food and drink, last year. While the Supreme Court struck down those tariffs earlier this year, the president has since found a workaround to reimpose the levy.
Mr Dhoot said: "If your product is more expensive, it's less attractive."
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The FDF warned that rising costs and red tape at home were piling further pressure on manufacturers already struggling to compete overseas.
Food and drink exports to the world fell 4.8pc to £5.7bn in the three months to March, according to the FDF. The volume of food shipped overseas fell by 8.9pc.
Trade body Salmon Scotland insisted demand for Scottish fish remained strong and said the sharp quarterly drop was partly explained by changing buying patterns linked to the timing of Easter, Ramadan and Chinese New Year.
The trade body said production had remained stable, suggesting exporters had simply sold fish into different markets or at different times of the year.
The Scotch Whisky Association welcomed the recent decision to scrap US tariffs on British spirits, describing the move as "a significant boost" for an industry facing intense pressure.
The US remains the biggest overseas market for Scotch whisky. Exports fell from £971m in 2024 to £933m last year, with the steepest declines coming after Washington imposed tariffs in April 2025.
Tea exports to the US rose by almost 12pc during the first quarter, while breakfast cereal shipments surged by nearly 90pc.
However, the FDF said companies had only achieved those gains largely by cutting prices to keep products attractive to American consumers.
Source: “AOL Money”
