Swinney criticises US tariff threat.
Scotland’s first minister, John Swinney, has criticised US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose new tariffs on European allies, warning that the measures could affect key Scottish exports, including farmed salmon.
The United States has said it will introduce a 10 percent tariff on imports from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands from 1 February, with a potential increase to 25 percent from the summer, unless an agreement is reached over Greenland. Scottish salmon exports to the US are already subject to a 10 percent tariff.
Swinney said tariffs should not be used as leverage in political negotiations.
“Tariffs should not be a bargaining chip in place of reasonable dialogue between partners,” he said.
Additional duties would add pressure to the Scottish salmon sector, which is heavily export-oriented and already exposed to US import tariffs. Any escalation could reduce competitiveness in the US market and contribute to wider shifts in global salmon trade flows.
The US administration has not indicated whether seafood products would be excluded from the proposed measures.
