SWA responds to US tariff threats on Scotch
The Scottish Whisky Association (SWA) has responded strongly to the reported threat of US tariffs on the import of Scotch.
The office of the US trade representative at the WTO has included Scottish on a list of European goods that might be targeted as part of an ongoing dispute with the EU.
The dispute, which stretches back some 15 years, is focused on state subsidies to plane manufacturers, Boeing in the US and Airbus in Europe.
Other goods threatened with punitive tariffs include tractors, olives, Italian cheese.
A spokesperson for the SWA said: “Exports of Scotch whisky to the US have been zero tariff for twenty years, so it is disappointing that Scotch whisky has been drawn into this dispute.
“The Scotch whisky industry has consistently opposed the imposition of tariffs, which harms economies on both sides of the Atlantic which depend on trade for their continued prosperity.
“There is a close relationship between the US whiskies and Scotch whisky, not least due to the use of bourbon casks for maturation which generates around £70m for the US economy each year.
“We continue to urge the UK government, the EU and the US government to resolve this situation.”
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