Headlines
Tariffs on Canadian equipment and syrup could kick in tomorrow
Trade imports subject to 25 percent tariffs, starting Feb. 1
By PETER GREGG | JANUARY 31, 2025
BRISTOL, Vt.—Big maple companies are preparing for the worst, they say.
If a threatened 25 percent tariff on all Canadian goods coming into the U.S. takes effect on Feb. 1, it could impact the maple industry.
Most maple equipment is manufactured in Canada and companies there were spending the last weeks of January frantically moving supplies over the border.
“We’re stocking up to the ceiling,” said Ben Shepard, who runs the 25,000 square foot CDL Bristol location in Bristol, Vt. “We are just preparing for the unknown."
He said CDL has been moving multiple tractor trailer loads day after day from Canada, trying to get inventory into the U.S. before a tariff kicks in.
Same goes for the CDL New Hampshire location.
“We have taken in a whole year’s worth of inventory in the last couple of weeks,” said Will Streeter, who runs the store there.
Sugarmakers should expect to pay 25 percent more for their Canadian-made equipment if the tariffs go through, most experts predict.
But until then, many were buying up what they could while prices were still stable.
The Maple News has spent two weeks trying to get information from both the USDA and the US Trade Commission, to no avail.
There is no solid information on whether the tariff will take effect tomorrow other than what has been reported in the broader media.
President Trump was unambiguous however when he stated in January that the tariffs would apply across the board on all Canadian imports.
That would include syrup presumably.
More than 65 percent of the Quebec maple crop ends up being sold in the U.S.
Experts speculated that grocery store chains would not “eat” those 25 percent increases, meaning the shelf space could be lost.
Others said that it could create opportunities for U.S. producers to make up for market share long lost to Canada syrup.
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