NEWS on Wednesday that US President Trump has paused his plan to impose heavy tariffs on American imports from dozens of countries has caused further uncertainty in the racing and bloodstock world over their potential impact on transatlantic trade.

Earlier this week American media sources were reporting that the US has begun imposing a 20% tariff on horses imported from the European Union and 10% on horses imported from Britain.

The tariffs had been due to take effect on Wednesday (April 9th) but President Trump then announced he was suspending the move for 90 days to allow negotiations to take place. In the meantime he said a 10% tariff would apply to imports from almost all countries, which puts Ireland and the EU on the same tariff level as Britain.

There has not yet been an announcement explicitly stating that the tariffs will be applied to thoroughbred horses but a spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture confirmed horses are subject to the tariff. In response to a query from The Irish Field, the Department said: “The 10% tariff applies to all agri-food and live animal exports from the EU. This 10% tariff is additional to any existing tariffs which may already apply.”

The Minister for Agriculture, Martin Heydon, was in Kentucky on a trade mission this week. After visiting Keeneland Sales and Coolmore’s Ashford Stud, he said detailed negotiations surrounding the movement of horses between Ireland and America need to commence.

Minister Heydon told The Irish Field during his trade mission to the USA that purpose of his visit was to encourage the US administration to sit down with EU negotiators and work through the detail. “In our whiskey sector and dairy sector, there has been a lack of an understanding, possibly, in terms of direct impact the mutually beneficial nature of the trade that takes place.

“That level of detail of the importance that trade for America and for Ireland in terms of horses is what has to be understood. Detailed negotiations need to commence now and will continue from here.”

It remains to be seen if the European Union goes ahead with its plan to announce a revised set of tariffs on good and services being imported from the US into the EU. It has been suggested that the EU will deliberately target industries which are important in Republican states.