Chaos in trade with the US

Commercial operations with the United States have turned into an ordeal following Trump’s announcement last week of sweeping tariff hikes on various beef suppliers (and other goods), with different rates depending on origin. One trader said customs brokers are overwhelmed and not answering inquiries, while others are reversing or revising credit orders to add the tariff to already finalized deals. Another dilemma is determining from which point the tariff increase officially applies—whether at clearance in the country of origin and loading, or upon arrival in the US. “Most ships have transshipments. This is becoming a headache for all imports, not just beef,” a trader explained. “Not even during the foot-and-mouth outbreak in the early 2000s did we see anything like this,” another source added.