How an Irish CBD pet product maker sidestepped Trump's tariffs - ‘best decision we ever made'
How an Irish CBD pet product maker sidestepped Trump's tariffs - 'best decision we ever made'
Fionn Thompson
05:00
David Hartigan, chief executive of pet product producer Hemp Heros. Picture: Fergal Phillips
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RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Swiss president travels to US to avert steep tariffs
Switzerland's president is in Washington as part of a last-minute push to stop steep new tariffs, but with no appointment with US President Donald Trump has been scheduled. Switzerland faces a 39% duty, one of the highest among the dozens of economies that will be hit by new tariffs expected to come into force from Thursday. Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter and Economy Minister Guy Parmelin are visiting Washington "to facilitate meetings with the US authorities at short notice and hold talks with a view to improving the tariff situation for Switzerland", the government said in a statement. "The aim is to present a more attractive offer to the United States in a bid to lower the level of reciprocal tariffs for Swiss exports, taking US concerns into account," it added. But a White House official told AFP there was "no meeting with the president scheduled at this time". Mr Trump had originally threatened in April to put a 31% tariff on Switzerland. But he surprised the export-driven country last week when he decided to hike the rate to 39% despite numerous discussions between Swiss and US officials aimed at reaching a deal. The Swiss government noted the country will be hit by much higher tariffs than what other wealthy economies, such as Britain, Japan or the European Union, are facing. The Swiss government "reaffirmed that it was keen to pursue talks with the United States on the tariff situation" and the president and economy minister are visiting Washington "for this reason", the statement said. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, however, told CBS television on Sunday that the tariffs on global trading partners, which are coming into force this week, "are pretty much set". Mr Trump signaled that a separate initially "small" tariff on imports of pharmaceuticals from around the world - a key sector for Switzerland - could come "within the next week". But the sector-specific tariff could rise to 150% in a year and eventually be as high as 250%, he said, adding the delay was to allow companies to shift production to the United States. Pharmaceuticals represented 60% of Swiss goods exports to the United States last year. A Swiss Government official said Ms Keller-Sutter and Mr Parmelin were accompanied by a small delegation, including the heads of the economy and international finance departments. But the official declined to give details about the potential meetings. The government said it will "issue a statement as soon as there are any relevant developments for the public". The United States is a key trading partner for Switzerland, taking 18.6% of its total exports last year, according to Swiss customs data. Ms Keller-Sutter has said Mr Trump believes that Switzerland "steals" from the United States by enjoying a trade surplus of 40 billion Swiss francs (€43bn). Swiss companies have urged the government to negotiate a lower tariff. "I am convinced that Donald Trump wants to make a deal and show it to his US voters," Nik Hayek, the head of watch firm Swatch, told Le Temps newspaper in an interview published late Monday.
Agriland
3 hours ago
- Agriland
Govt urged to 'save the industry' and put more support in place for farmers
Government is being urged to "save" the agricultural industry and put more financial support in place with "less red tape, rigmarole and bureaucracy". Aontú senator Sarah O'Reilly, who sits on the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Fisheries, said she believes recent jobseeker payment figures published could be "an underestimate of the numbers leaving" the agriculture sector. She said that for many, farming "was not just a source of income, but a way of life - an occupation handed down from grandparent to parent to child over the years". "Government policies have been incredibly anti-farmer and anti-rural over the last few years, with threats to cull the herd, the Mercosur trade deal and carbon taxes creating huge worry on farms across the country," O'Reilly said. O'Reilly said that often, the money offered to farmers if they sign up to certain schemes "is not worth it". "The delayed ACRES payments, the codology that is 'rewetting' the bogs, all pose a huge threat to the farmer and to his or her ability to make any profit," she said. "All our young people are gone to Australia or Canada, and farms are being abandoned, planted or sold." She said Irish produce is "second to none" on many fronts. "We need to save the industry. There needs to be more financial support put in place - less red tape, rigmarole and bureaucracy," O'Reilly said. "The government needs to stop treating farmers like second-class citizens; they need to recognise that farmers are some of the most decent and astute businessmen and women in the country. "But, government policies particularly around the environment, TB, taxation and issues like that are driving them into debt." Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection, Dara Calleary recently the number of people who applied for Jobseeker's Allowance or Jobseeker's Benefit who listed their previous employment as farming in each of the past 10 years. The minister in response published figures on the number of claims made by individuals where the employment immediately prior to the claim commencement was in agriculture, forestry, and fishing. These figures show the number of recipients at the end of each month in the specific year who had an employment in the sector immediately before the jobseeker's claim started, a Department of Social Protection spokesperson explained. In June 2025, the relevant figure was 268, compared with 451 in the same month last year. "It is possible that that recipients of Jobseeker's Allowance or Jobseeker's Benefit are still engaged in farming on a part-time basis," the department spokesperson told Agriland. "Jobseeker's Benefit and Jobseeker's Allowance are payable where a person is working for up to 3 days every week and where they satisfy the other conditions of the scheme. "In the case of Jobseeker's Benefit or Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit, a person can be engaged in subsidiary employment which is work that could ordinarily have been followed by the person in addition to their usual employment." To qualify as subsidiary, the total remuneration or profit from the employment should not exceed €7,500 on an annual basis, or, €144 on a weekly basis, the department said. "Alternatively, if a person has at least 117 employment contributions paid from employment at class A or H, in respect of the period of three years immediately preceding that day, or in respect of the last three complete contribution years immediately preceding that day, then no earnings limit is applicable," the spokesperson added. The Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit, introduced in March 2025 and based on earnings from work before a person became unemployed, was not included in the June 2025 figure of 268, and this would increase the number to 375, the department said.
RTÉ News
4 hours ago
- RTÉ News
US envoy to visit Russia ahead of sanctions deadline
US envoy Steve Witkoff will meet Russian leadership in Moscow as US President Donald Trump's deadline to impose fresh sanctions over Russia's war in Ukraine looms. Mr Trump has given Russia until Friday to halt its offensive in Ukraine or face new penalties. The White House has not outlined specific actions it plans to take on Friday, but Mr Trump has previously threatened to impose "secondary tariffs" targeting Russia's remaining trade partners, such as China and India. The move would aim to stifle Russian exports, but would risk significant international disruption. The US President said yesterday that he would await the outcome of the Moscow talks before moving forward with any economic retaliation. "We're going to see what happens," he told reporters "We'll make that determination at that time," he added. An American source did not specify if the meetings will include Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom Mr Witkoff has met several times previously. Despite pressure from Washington, Russia has continued its offensive against its pro-Western neighbor. Three rounds of peace talks in Istanbul have failed to make headway on a possible ceasefire, with the two sides appearing as far apart as ever. Russia has demanded that Ukraine cede more territory and renounce Western support. Ukraine is calling for an immediate ceasefire and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week urged his allies to push for "regime change" in Moscow. In recent weeks, Mr Trump has increasingly voiced frustration with Mr Putin over Russia's unrelenting offensive. When reporters asked Mr Trump on Monday what Mr Witkoff's message would be to Moscow, and if there was anything Russia could do to avoid the sanctions, Mr Trump replied: "Yeah, get a deal where people stop getting killed." Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Monday Russia considered the talks with Mr Witkoff to be "important, substantial and helpful", and valued US efforts to end the conflict. Mr Putin, who has consistently rejected calls for a ceasefire, said Friday that he wants peace but that his demands for ending his nearly three-and-a-half-year offensive were unchanged. Russia has frequently called on Ukraine to effectively cede control of four regions that Russia claims to have annexed, a demand Ukraine has called unacceptable. Mr Putin also wants Ukraine to drop its ambitions to join NATO. The visit comes after Mr Trump said that two nuclear submarines, he deployed following an online row with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, were now "in the region". Mr Trump has not said whether he meant nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed submarines. He also did not elaborate on the exact deployment locations, which are kept secret by the US military. Russia, in its first comments on the deployment, urged "caution". "Russia is very attentive to the topic of nuclear non-proliferation," Mr Peskov said.
