Cheesemaker warns it may end US exports over tariffs
BBCA cheesemaker has warned it may have to stop sales to the US if Donald Trump's export tariffs come in.
Croome Cheese in Whittington, Worcestershire, is a family food business that currently exports 37% of its cheeses, with three-quarters of them going to the US.
Owner Nick Hodgetts said sales to America were currently about 28% of their production in financial terms, and a 10% trade tariff would make it "completely and utterly unprofitable".
He believed they could produce less cheese but make more money by selling it in the UK.
Leanne Hodgetts, business development manager, said: "When we first started exporting, we were really proud to be saying, 'You can find us in America; you can find us in Australia.'"
But she said now when they tell people that they are exporting, it raises questions from others over the expense and the impact on the business.
"After a while when people start questioning you about things like that, you start thinking, 'Gosh, is it actually worth it?'" she said.
Mr Hodgetts said it was not the first time exports had been affected by political decisions.
He said: "We should be learning from it all, really, shouldn't we? I mean Brexit brought its own problems . . . It shut the door to European exports overnight, and they've never really recovered to a sustainable level."
He described it as "politicians playing politics with our business".
The businessman added: "The upshot is that we're all in the dark at the moment, and we're supposed to be producing product for a market which may or may not be there tomorrow or in three months' time.
"We don't know even now whether the product that we've got on its way to Long Island in New York is going to be received. Who is going to pay the 10% duty?
"It's a bespoke product for the American market.
"It's of no use to bring it back here, and the margins aren't sufficient for us to pay the 10% duty."
On Tuesday, US Vice-President JD Vance said there was a "good chance" a trade deal could be reached with the UK.
The global stock market has been rocked by turbulence since 2 April, after President Trump announced tariffs on nearly every country.
The US trade policy included a 10% "baseline" tariff on all imports from the UK, France and other trade partners.
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