Ebre Delta salt sales to US hit by Trump tariffs

Sales of Ebre Delta salt, harvested in this natural park in southern Catalonia, are expected to take a hit from new tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.

Last week, the European Union and the United States agreed to impose a 15% tariff on nearly all European exports to the US.

For sectors where the American market is key - such as Ebre Delta sea salt - the news has not been welcomed.

Infosa, the company that operates the La Trinitat salt flats, forecasts a 5% drop in sales this year due to the tariffs, after recording annual growth rates of up to 25%.

The firm had been selling around a third of its annual production to the North American market, but expansion there now seems unlikely.

"We come from a series of years with growth of between 20 and 25%," manager Manel Salvadó told the Catalan News Agency (ACN).

The new tariff will start at 10%, immediately raising prices. Yet, Salvadó stressed, the uncertainty around potential increases has had an even greater effect.

"With the uncertainty that today could be a 10% or tomorrow a 35%, North American clients have ended up being more cautious when making orders," he said.

Outside the US, France remains one of the main destinations for Delta salt, along with Canada and Germany.

The news coincides with the start of the salt harvesting season. This year’s yield is expected to reach 85,000 tonnes, below the usual 100,000 tonnes, due to heavy rains last autumn.

Nevertheless, strong recent campaigns have helped the company recover from weaker years, reaching a turnover of €16 million this year, 10% higher than five years ago.