Policy – July 21, 2026
Tariffs: Norway’s US salmon trade is down €180 million – is it about to get worse?
Norwegian salmon: US tariff could rise to 12.5% as exports slide.
Norwegian salmon exporters could face a 12.5% US import tariff from late July, replacing the temporary 10% levy currently applied to most Norwegian goods.
The existing tariff was introduced under Section 122 in February and can remain in force for only 150 days without congressional approval. That period expires on Friday, July 24.
The US Trade Representative has proposed replacing it with a 12.5% duty under Section 301, after concluding that Norway had failed to impose and enforce a prohibition on imports made using forced labour. The finding concerns Norway’s import regime and does not allege forced labour in Norwegian salmon production. The proposed measure remains subject to a final decision.
“The seafood industry is particularly exposed,” Norwegian School of Economics professor Ola H. Grytten told Norwegian business publication E24, adding that companies specialising in the US market would be most affected.
Norway exported seafood worth NOK 6.3 billion (€567 million) to the US during the first half of 2026, down NOK 2.4 billion (€216 million), or 28%, from a year earlier. The US nevertheless remained Norway’s third-largest seafood market.
The decline in Norwegian salmon exports to the US amounted to NOK 2 billion (€180 million). Fresh salmon fillet exports fell 38% in value, while frozen fillets declined 32%, according to the Norwegian Seafood Council.
“The US remains by far Norway’s largest market for salmon fillets, so the decline has hit Norway’s fillet industry particularly hard,” Seafood Council chief executive Christian Chramer said. Norwegian Seafood Council
The proposed rate would place Norwegian salmon alongside Chilean product at 12.5%, while imports from the UK—including Scottish salmon—would face a proposed 10% duty. Canadian salmon meeting USMCA origin requirements would remain exempt.
