REGINA — Just days before the possible implementation of tariffs by the United States, it’s still unclear how they would be applied and which sectors will be affected.
Mark Tully, senior manager of market research at Nutrien, told Crop Week 2025 it appears American border management would be responsible to collect the tariff as it moves across the line.
The Canadian exporter would face the overall cost.
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“The challenge, of course, will be how Canada responds to something like that,” he told reporters after his presentation.
“We’ve heard the talk of export taxes, and that could result in the Canadian government also impacting and taking a chunk of change as that product moves.”
However, Tully said until there is clarity from both countries, the overall trade flow and price impact is unknown.
He suggested exporters may try to redirect some trade to other countries. That would result in less volume moving to the United States and upward price pressure.
There is a lot of economic uncertainty heading into these final days before president-elect Donald Trump takes office. Tully said one of the questions is how much one of the world’s largest economies, particularly from an agriculture import perspective, is going to participate in the global economy this year and into the future.
He also said the impacts will be crop-specific, with some affected much more than others.
More to come.
Check out all our 2025 Western Canadian Crop Production Show coverage here.
Contact karen.briere@producer.com
