Keep track of key developments as they unfold
To better help the industry stay abreast of developments impacting nuts and dried fruits, the INC has published this timeline of the key tariff-related events affecting the sector that have occurred since this issue took center stage in early 2025. This page will be updated regularly, so check back often to see where things stand. Last update: April 24, 2025.
January 20, 2025: Donald Trump takes office as US President.
February 1, 2025: Trump imposed a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico and a 10% tariff on goods from China.
February 3, 2025: As Canada and Mexico were preparing retaliatory measures, Trump agreed to postpone implementation of the tariffs on both countries for at least 30 days.
February 4, 2025: The 10% tariff on China went into effect and China announced a series of retaliatory tariffs.
February 11, 2025: Trump ordered a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports from all countries, with date of application March 12.
March 3, 2025: Trump doubled the new tariff on China from 10% to 20%.
March 4, 2025: The US blanket tariff of 25% on Mexico and Canada took effect. Canada responded by imposing a 25% tariff on various US products, including peanut butter. The same day, China announced its own retaliatory measures, including an additional 10% tariff on most US tree nuts, dried fruits, and peanut butter, among other agricultural products (see table).
March 5, 2025: Backtracking partially, Trump granted a one-month reprieve on automotive tariffs on Canada and Mexico.
March 6, 2025: Trump said he would suspend the 25% tariff on products traded under the US–Mexico–Canada Agreement, but implied that other tariffs on Mexican and Canadian products would be coming in April.
March 12, 2025: The EU announced countermeasures in response to Trump’s 25% tariff on European steel and aluminum, which had come into effect that same day. This consisted of two parts:
– The suspension of existing countermeasures against the US from 2018 and 2020 would be allowed to lapse on April 1, whereupon 25% duties would come into effect on US peanut butter and dried cranberries.
– The EU put forward a package of new countermeasures on US goods, which were expected to come into force by mid-April, after a public consultation as well as consultation with EU Member States. The draft list of products that could be targeted by these measures included shelled and in-shell almonds.
March 20, 2025: The EU Trade Commissioner announced that the application of the measures affecting US peanut butter and dried cranberries would be pushed back from April 1 to mid-April, allowing time for negotiations. This move was meant to align the timing of the two tranches of EU countermeasures.
April 2, 2025: Trump announced expansive new tariffs. A baseline 10% tariff was announced for all imports into the US, with higher rates being applied to around 60 countries, including 34% for China, 20% for the European Union, 27% for India, 24% for Japan, 26% for South Korea, and 46% for Vietnam. The baseline 10% tariff was set to come into effect on April 5, while the higher tariffs were set to apply from April 9.
April 3, 2025: The European Commission President announced that the EU hoped to negotiate a solution with the US, but added that the Union was preparing for further countermeasures in case the negotiations fail. The same day, the UK announced a public consultation on potential countermeasures that could affect various nuts and dried fruits.
April 4, 2025: China announced that a 34% tariff would apply to all imports from the United States as of April 10.
April 5, 2025: The baseline 10% tariff announced by Trump on April 2 came into effect.
April 8, 2025: Trump imposed an additional 50% tariff on Chinese imports, bringing the total tariffs on Chinese goods to 104%.
April 9, 2025: The higher, country-specific tariffs announced by Trump on April 2 briefly came into effect. The same day, China raised its own tariff on US goods, bringing the total rate to 84%. Trump then announced in a social media post that the US tariff on Chinese goods would be raised to 125%, effective immediately (although the White House later clarified that the rate was actually 145%). In the same social media post, Trump announced a 90-day pause on the country-specific tariffs that had been announced on April 2, bringing the rate charged on the affected countries down to the baseline rate of 10%. Also on April 9, the EU Member States voted on the countermeasures against the US.
April 10, 2025: The European Commission President took note of Trump’s announced 90-day pause, expressed readiness to negotiate, and said the countermeasures would be adopted but put on hold for 90 days.
April 11, 2025: China again raised its tariff on US goods, bringing the total rate to 125%.
April 14, 2025: The EU published two implementing acts, one that adopts the EU countermeasures, and another that immediately suspends them for 90 days. Here it is confirmed that a 25% tariff on US almonds is set to take effect on December 1. Application of the 25% duty on US peanut butter and dried cranberries is suspended until July 14.
Where things stand:
- Canadian and Mexican products that comply with the US–Mexico–Canada Agreement remain exempt from the 25% tariffs for now.
- Canada’s 25% tariff on various US products, including peanut butter, remains in effect.
- US baseline tariff of 10% on all imports from all origins remains in effect.
- 90-day pause on the US’s higher, country-specific tariffs is set to expire on July 8, 2025.
- US tariff on Chinese goods stands at 145%.
- China’s tariff on US goods stands at 125%.
- EU 25% tariff on US almonds is set to take effect December 1, 2025.
- EU 25% tariff on US peanut butter and dried cranberries is suspended until July 14, 2025.