Recht wenig Freude hat die Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) naturgemäß mit den nächste Woche in Kraft tretenden Strafzöllen für europäischen Whisky in der Höhe von 25% bei Import in die USA. Besonders deshalb, weil Single Malt für mehr als die Hälfte der für das Vereinigte Königreich zu erwartenden Belastungen herhalten muss.
Die SWA stellt im Statement von Karen Betts, Chief Executive der SWA, fest, dass die Strafzölle die Whiskyindustrie empfindlich treffen werden und die USA und EU dringend aufgefordert sind, den Konflikt zu lösen, um Schaden von der Whiskyindustrie, aber auch anderen Wirtschaftszweigen abzuwenden.
Hier das Statement in seiner Gänze:
“We are very disappointed that the United States Government has announced a tariff of 25% on imports of Single Malt Scotch Whisky and Liqueurs from the UK. This is a blow to the Scotch Whisky industry. Despite the fact that this dispute is about aircraft subsidies, our sector has been hit hard, with Single Malt Scotch Whisky representing over half of the total value of UK products on the US Government tariff list (amounting to over $460 million).
“The tariff will undoubtedly damage the Scotch Whisky sector. The US is our largest and most valuable single market, and over £1 billion of Scotch Whisky was exported there last year. The tariff will put our competitiveness and Scotch Whisky’s market share at risk. We are also concerned that it will disproportionately impact smaller producers. We expect to see a negative impact on investment and job creation in Scotland, and longer term impacts on productivity and growth across the industry and our supply chain. We believe the tariff will also have a cumulative impact on consumer choice.
“The Scotch Whisky industry has consistently argued against the imposition of tariffs in our sector. For the last 25 years, trade in spirits between Europe and the US has been tariff-free. In that time, exports of Scotch Whisky to the US and of American Whiskey to the UK and Europe have grown significantly, benefitting communities on both sides of the Atlantic, boosting investment, employment and prosperity for all. For this reason, the Scotch Whisky Association – alongside American and European spirits producers – has urged the EU and the US not to draw spirits into trade disputes that have nothing to do with our sector.
„We believe it is imperative that the EU and US now take urgent action to de-escalate the trade disputes that have given rise to these tariffs, to ensure that these latest tariffs are not implemented on 18 October, and to ensure that other tariffs – including on the export of American Whiskey to the EU – are removed quickly. In particular, the UK government must now work with both sides to urge a negotiated settlement and to ensure that these damaging tariffs do not take effect.”
