China’s seafood tariffs against Canada now in force

They also face the prospect of additional tariffs from the United States over the next 10 days.  

The BC (British Columbia) Seafood Alliance says the move could devastate the multi-million-dollar geoduck clam export industry, which is built almost exclusively on Chinese markets.

The tariffs were levied after Canada applied a 100% levy on all Chinese-made electric vehicles and 25% on steel and aluminium. They will also hit seafood producers, both wild caught and farmed, in other Canadian provinces such as Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

In fact the entire Canadian seafood industry has been thrown into a state of turmoil by the tariff war. The vast majority of the country’s exports go to the United States and China with 60% to the US and around 20% to China.

The industry is fearing the worst but says the new taxes are in place now and it may be better to wait and see how things develop.

The US tariff threat is still up in the air and no-one can predict if Trump will carry out his threat or back off again.

The impact on the BC seafood producers will depend on how long the tariffs last, said Christina Burridge, executive director for the BC Seafood Alliance. She added: “The longer it is, the worse it will be.”

Salmon farmers in British Columbia are facing issues at home through a ban on future open pen operation.

Canadians are now facing a general election on 28 April, with an unclear outcome.