Seafood exporters in UK and Norway project calm amid Trump’s tariff threat
As US President Donald Trump threatens extra import tariffs on eight European allies opposed to his Greenland land-grab, raising fears of a full-blown transatlantic trade war, seafood trade bodies in the UK and Norway are adopting a ’wait-and-see’ approach.
At the weekend, Trump said he would place a punitive 10% tariff on the UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland from 1 February, rising to 25% from 1 June, until a deal is reached for the US to purchase Greenland from Denmark.
First thing Monday morning, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called his close ally’s plan "completely wrong", saying it would hurt British workers, business, and the economy. Asked if he is ruling out retaliatory tariffs, Starmer said a trade war was in "nobody’s interest".
Last year, the US and UK reached an agreement which saw a 10 per cent levy being imposed on most UK goods, including seafood products.
Tariffs are a tax on products imported into a country. They are typically charged as a percentage of the price a buyer pays a foreign seller. It means a US company buying a product from a UK supplier would have to pay an additional amount, such as 10%, to the state, on top of the original price.
The higher prices on US goods are likely to dampen demand for products. This will in turn affect British exporters’ trade, rippling through the supply chain. The US would not, however, escape consequences. Additional border taxes on US imports would be paid by US businesses and consumers.
The combined value of US imports from the nations Trump is targeting amounted to more than $365bn (£272bn) last year – equivalent to roughly half of the EU exports to the US. Goldman Sachs estimates that an extra 10% tariff would lower real GDP in the affected European countries by between 0.1% and 0.2% via lower exports.
Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, also criticised Trump’s threat, warning the measures could affect key Scottish exports, including farmed salmon. Mr Swinney said: “Tariffs should not be a bargaining chip in place of reasonable dialogue between partners."
The trade body Salmon Scotland, which represents salmon farmers in the country, said it is not commenting on this issue just now, but "is monitoring developments closely and will respond as appropriate if things move on".
A lot is at stake if the row escalates. Figures last summer showed that salmon exports from Scotland were on track for a record-breaking year, rising by 33% to £941 million in the rolling 12 months to the end of June.
Salmon Scotland’s analysis of HMRC figures, comparing values in the first half of 2025 with the same period in 2024, showed exports to the US were up 110 per cent to £190 million.
Tavish Scott, chief executive of Salmon Scotland, said at the time: “With international sales approaching £1bn, Scottish salmon continues to perform strongly on the world stage, especially in the US where demand remains robust.
“However, tariffs remain a significant barrier, costing the sector an estimated £30m each year. Removing these tariffs would open up even greater opportunities for exporters and help secure long-term growth for Scottish salmon."
In another target of Trump’s ire, Norway’s state-owned seafood marketing organisation, the Norwegian Seafood Council, is also keeping calm and carrying on at the moment.
The council’s Martin Skaug told us: "At this stage, these statements have not been formalised in an Executive Order, and there is still significant uncertainty regarding scope, timing, legal basis and practical implementation. We are therefore following the situation closely.
"Norway already faces a higher tariff level on seafood exports to the United States than several of our main competitors. An additional 10 per cent – and potentially 25 per cent from June – would make market access more challenging and weaken the competitiveness of Norwegian seafood in the US market. The effects would vary across products, but processed products such as fillets would be more exposed than exports of whole fish.
"The United States is an important and complex market for Norwegian seafood, and one of our strongest growth markets in recent years. At the same time, seafood is traded in highly integrated global markets. Changes in US trade policy would not only affect Norway, but also processing industries and trade flows across Europe, including the UK, and in other major markets.
"At this stage, it is too early to draw firm conclusions about the long-term consequences. Much will depend on whether these measures are implemented, at what level, and for how long. We therefore believe it is important to avoid premature conclusions until there is greater clarity.
"From our perspective, predictable and rules-based trade is generally in the interest of both producers and consumers on both sides of the Atlantic. A general reflection from our side, not taking part in the political side of things, though; Governments will probably continue to engage in constructive dialogue through established diplomatic and trade channels.
"The Norwegian Seafood Council will continue to monitor developments closely and provide the industry with updated analyses as the situation evolves."
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