
Reprieve for pharma as 15pc tariffs await report from Lutnick
The 15pc tariff on exports of pharma products to the United States will not come into effect from tomorrow, according to analysts, and may not take effect for weeks or even months.
Conal Mac Coille, chief economist at Bank of Ireland, said his interpretation of a briefing note from the European Commission on the EU-US trade deal is that tariffs on pharma will remain at the current 0pc until US president Donald Trump's administration completes a separate investigation of the sector.

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Irish Examiner
34 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Simon Harris ‘eager' to progress trade talks to avoid further tariffs
Tánaiste Simon Harris has said he is 'eager' to see further progress on trade talks around certain sectors, including the drinks industry, as a wave of US tariffs takes effect. Mr Harris said that while some areas have been agreed as exempt from tariffs between the European Union and the US, he wants to 'tease through the detail' of other areas, citing the pharma sector in particular. US President Donald Trump's tariffs took effect from Thursday, with exporters in Ireland facing a new 15% rate applying to imports to the US. There is huge potential and scope for the EU and the US to work together in the interests of patients, their economies, and the pharma industry It is not yet clear whether the drinks industry will be exempt from the new wave of tariffs. The Tanaiste said it is 'absolutely essential' to maximise the number of areas that can apply zero-for-zero tariffs. 'Whilst there are some areas that have already been agreed as exempt from tariffs between the US and the EU, I'm very eager to see more progress made in more areas, including for the drinks industry, which is an important part of the Irish economy,' Mr Harris said in a statement on Thursday. 'We'll also need to continue to work in the time ahead to tease through the detail in relation to particular sectors. 'From a pharma point of view, my position remains the same, as does the position of the European Union. 'There is huge potential and scope for the EU and the US to work together in the interests of patients, their economies, and the pharma industry. 'In many ways, the EU and the US are interdependent when it comes to pharma. In the very first instance, it's vital that the US keeps its agreement in terms of a tariff rate of no higher than 15% on the pharma industry. 'But actually, in the time ahead, it's important that we seek to further improve that. US pharma companies need to have a base in the European Union – and Ireland has been a very constructive, very good home for those businesses. They've done very well in Ireland. Freight trucks at Rosslare Europort in Co Wexford, Ireland (Niall Carson/PA) 'We need to continue to make sure that nothing happens that causes disruption to the industry or to global supply chains. So, there's much work to do in the weeks and months ahead. 'We also must continue to control what we can control and continue to make our country, and our European Union, as competitive as possible, as good a location as possible to invest in and create jobs. 'We must also look for other opportunities to diversify markets for Irish business. While we want to continue to do business with the US and indeed want to grow business. It is important that we take every opportunity to identify new markets.' He said the Government will publish a new Market Diversification Action Plan this month.


RTÉ News
34 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
CCPC: No evidence of competition issues among food retailers
An investigation by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) into the grocery retailer sector has found there is no evidence indicating any issues regarding competition among retailers in terms of food prices. In its report the CCPC says that although inflation analysis shows "significant price increases since 2021 that have a real impact on consumers" the available data on supermarket profits "does not indicate that margins are notably high when compared to international comparators". Official figures show Irish consumers experienced a 27% increase in grocery prices between 2021 and June of this year. The CCPC says that while this rise is significant, it remains below the EU average increase of 35% over the same period, adding that only four other EU member states have experienced smaller price increases since 2021. However, the agency's 2025 high-level analysis of the grocery retail sector notes that "one key driver of recent food price rises is the increase of some agricultural product prices, which have been higher in Ireland than the European average". The Commission says that "while grocery prices have increased significantly since 2021, they have done so at a slower pace than some of the key input costs, such as agricultural prices. "This suggests that competition in the grocery market has helped limit the impact of increased agricultural prices on Irish consumers," the report says. For its probe of grocery retailers the CCPC analysed market concentration including new entrants and expansion, national and international trends in grocery prices, as well as profit margins of major grocery retailers. It says that recent profit figures from grocery retailers "continue to be in line with the margin band estimated by the CCPC in 2023", which was between 1% and 4%. Tesco Ireland's operating profit margin for the year to Feb 2024 was 3.7% (down from 4% in the previous year), Musgrave's (which owns SuperValu and Centra) profit margin in 2023 was 2.4%, down from 2.5% the previous year. Aldi's profit margin in 2023 was 0.8%, down from 0.9% in 2022. Dunnes and Lidl do not publish accounts for their Irish operations, however, Lidl's UK accounts (which combine UK and Irish activities) for 2023/2024 show a profit margin of 2.1%. The CCPC says the profit margins for Irish supermarkets "align closely with those observed in the UK and other parts of Europe". The consumer watchdog also points out that "increased competition in the market over the last 20 years has brought sizeable benefits for consumers" and that "food price increases in Ireland have been well below the European average, and this coincides with increasing competition in the Irish market". The CCPC previously carried out a similar analysis of the retail grocery sector in 2023, which had similar findings, but amid sustained food inflation the Government asked the Commission to re-assess the sector. While the CCPC says it has not seen evidence to "justify an in-depth study of the grocery retail sector" it says it "remains a key market for the CCPC, which we will continue to review".


Irish Times
34 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Bank of Ireland putting more than €90m into offshore wind farm
Bank of Ireland is lending £80 million (€91.6 million) for an offshore UK wind farm in one of its largest green investments to date. The bank is part of a consortium of international lenders backing what will be the world's second largest offshore wind farm when it comes into operation next year. Located in the North Sea, East Anglia 3 is about 70 miles off the east coast of England and roughly opposite the Dutch coastline. It will have a projected capacity of 1.4 gigawatts of clean energy, enough to power the equivalent of more than 1.3 million homes. When completed, it will feature 95 offshore wind turbine generators and an offshore converter station. Electricity generated will be transmitted to England via subsea cables. Offshore construction began in April with each foundation measuring up to 85 metres in length and weighing as much as 1,800 tonnes. READ MORE Bank of Ireland worked with 23 other banks and the Danish Export Credit Agency to design and structure financing for the project. Along with its £98 million financing commitment to Inch Cape, a 1.1 gigawatt wind farm being developed off the east coast of Scotland by Red Rock Renewables and the ESB, Bank of Ireland said East Anglia 3 was its largest green investments to date. The bank is targeting €30 billion in sustainability-related lending to households and businesses by 2030. It reached the halfway point of that target during the first quarter of this year. John Feeney, chief executive of Bank of Ireland's corporate and commercial banking division, said East Anglia 3 is 'exactly the kind of transformative investment that Bank of Ireland aims to support'. He said it would 'drive innovation, accelerate the energy transition and deliver lasting environmental and social benefits'.