No agricultural product from outside the US will be able to compete with locally produced goods, according to Donald Trump, who anticipates a new tariff regime for food imports starting in April.
In his first joint address to Congress since returning to power, Trump outlined his trade policy, emphasising that tariffs on imported products would greatly benefit American farmers.
“I love the farmer. We’ll now be selling it to our home market in the USA because nobody is going to be able to compete with you,” he said during his record-breaking 99-minute speech earlier this week
Providing only a few details, Trump stated that tariffs on agricultural imports would take effect on 2 April, following a brief adjustment period.
“Our farmers are going to have a field day right now. So to our farmers, have a lot of fun,” he added.
In a recent interview with Euronews, EU Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen acknowledged growing concerns over looming US tariffs and called for greater trade activism from the EU to counter potential damages.
He pointed out that some European agricultural products—such as wines, spirits, and dairy—are particularly strategic and must be protected.
“If the United States were to target such products, [thanks to an EU-Mercosur deal] we would have alternative ways to sell our products, ensuring stability [for our farmers],” Hansen said.
Food safety claims
Trump went on to argue that foreign agricultural goods are unsafe for consumers and do not meet US standards.
“They’re uninspected. They may be very dirty and disgusting, and they come in and they pour in and they hurt our American farmers,” he said.
These comments directly challenge the EU, which takes pride in its rigorous food safety standards and frequently highlights them as a point of excellence.
“The gastronomy, products and food heritage of several EU countries is globally recognised and praised as being the best ones in the world,” a Commission’s spokesperson told Euronews adding that thanks to the excellence and reputation of its foodstuff, the EU is the world’s top exporter of these products.
The spokesperson also stressed the EU’s global leadership in food safety with stringent rules and high standards in place for more than sixty years.
“Strict controls and traceability systems monitor the entire production chain, maintaining top safety levels,” the spokesperson continued, mentioning that more than 5 million official controls are performed by the member states every year.
In its recently presented Vision for Agriculture and Food, the EU reaffirmed that strict enforcement and control of food safety standards remain a non-negotiable priority in trade policy.
As part of its updated agrifood strategy, the EU has pledged to be more assertive in promoting and defending European exports while strengthening production standards for imported products, particularly concerning pesticide use and animal welfare.
During a hearing with MEPs on the Mercosur deal, EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič reinforced this stance, stating that “health and consumer protection was never, and will never be, up for negotiation” in any trade talk.
Ongoing trade feud
The latest tensions add to an existing trade dispute that dates back to Trump’s first term in office.
In 2017, the US imposed tariffs on Spanish black olives, prompting the EU to challenge the move at the WTO.
The legal battle stretched over four years, culminating in a November 2021 ruling that found the US had violated WTO rules.
Despite this, the EU maintains that the US has yet to resolve the issue and has requested WTO approval for $35 million in retaliatory tariffs.
The EU’s list of potential targets remains a closely guarded secret to avoid disrupting trade.
However, based on past disputes, the bloc has not shied away from hitting politically sensitive products.
In previous trade battles, the EU imposed tariffs on bourbon and Harley-Davidson motorcycles—both produced in Republican strongholds—demonstrating its readiness to retaliate strategically.
