Jim Bair, CEO of USApple, the national trade association representing all segments of the apple industry, has released a statement regarding Trump's tariff announcement. 

Bair said that with the President's tariffs announcement, the top 5 export markets for U.S. apples have been targeted. Mexico, Canada, Taiwan, Vietnam, and India in 2024 combined to purchase $756 million worth of U.S. apples.

"We support holding trading partners accountable. Countries that would be ideal markets for U.S. apples shut us out due to non-tariff trade barriers. That’s why USApple strongly supported the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which is working well, and those countries remain our largest export destinations," Bair said. 

Additionally, he said, "As we painfully experienced with India in the past, U.S. tariffs can trigger retaliatory measures that restrict access to key export markets and harm apple growers across the country. It’s critical for the health of the entire U.S. apple industry to maintain strong, stable trade relationships with all of our current and potential export partners."

Just last week, 90 apple growers, packers, and shippers from 14 states traveled to Washington, D.C. for USApple’s Capitol Hill Day. In more than 100 meetings with House and Senate offices, industry leaders delivered a clear message to lawmakers: trade matters to the future of the U.S. apple industry.

USApple members include 36 state and regional apple associations, representing 26,000 apple growers throughout the country and more than 3,700 apple-related companies.

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