The United States Trade Representative (USTR) recently levied import tariffs between 10 percent and 12.5 percent on 59 countries and the entire E.U., explaining that the duties are related to the “failure of various economies to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor.”
Chile was included in the group of 60 economies faulted by the USTR and, therefore, has been slapped with a 12.5 percent tariff on several major goods, including salmon.
Representatives from the Chilean salmon-farming industry, which produces more than 40 percent of the salmon sold in the U.S., responded to the decision with concern.
“Given that the United States does not produce salmon and there is no reason to apply the tariff, our expectation was that Chile would not be included in this measure and, particularly, that Chilean farmed salmon would be … exempt from a new tariff, considering the characteristics of our product and its importance to the U.S. market,” Chilean salmon-farming association SalmonChile said, adding that it has called on Chile’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs “to exhaust all instances and to continue working with the U.S. authorities to seek spaces for dialogue for the reversal of this decision and to move toward future tariff reductions.”
Chile’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has responded to such calls by insisting the government will continue to protect the interests of the country and its exporters and maintain dialogue and negotiations with the U.S. authorities through existing institutional channels.
In the meantime, however, SalmonChile cautioned that “the decision affects various productive sectors of our country” and that the USTR’s measure may end up affecting a trade relationship that has been beneficial for both countries.
Chilean Salmon Council Executive President Loreto Seguel pointed out that the USTR's determination does not accuse Chile of having forced labor but, rather, of the absence of specific legislation that explicitly prohibits the import of goods produced under conditions of forced labor.
Thus, the Salmon Council has emphasized that such a challenge is best addressed with a countrywide vision that translates into committed public-private collaboration.
“That has always been the Salmon Council’s hallmark: to collaborate in pursuit of the good of Chile, and this will not be the exception,” Seguel said.
The USTR’s decision came despite the fact Chilean business representatives, including executives from the salmon industry, traveled to the U.S. earlier this month in an attempt to prevent the looming tariff. This effort ultimately failed to sway the U.S.’s decision-making process.
With the decision, the world’s two largest salmon-producing nations, Norway and Chile, were subjected to 12.5 percent tariffs. Salmon imported into the U.S. from the United Kingdom will continue to be subject to a 10 percent tariff, while the Faroe Islands and Iceland are exempt.
Though Chile’s salmon-farming sector is in the process of navigating new trade obstacles, the latest industrial data shows that exports of Chilean farmed salmon reached 440,922 metric tons (MT) during the first half of the year, increasing 15.3 percent compared to the same period of 2025.
The value of those exports came to USD 3.5 billion (EUR 3.1 billion), which was up 6.8 percent compared to the first six months last year, Chile’s Salmon Council reported.
The U.S. was Chile’s main destination market for salmon exports during the period. In the first six months of the year, Chile shipped 133,513 MT of salmonids to the U.S., which was up 12.4 percent from the same period of 2025 and represented more than 30 percent of all of Chile’s salmon exports.
Brazil was Chilean farmed salmon’s second largest destination market, with 85,946 MT of salmonids sent there, up 14.7 percent year over year. That was followed by Japan which received 72,606 MT, up 5.6 percent, and China, which surged 124 percent to 26,380 MT.
Atlantic salmon led growth by species, setting a watermark with 300,820 MT sent abroad – the highest during the first six months of any year. Meanwhile, coho salmon continued to strengthen its presence in Asian markets, consolidating a strategy of market diversification, the Salmon Council said, with exports rising 4.5 percent to 117,276 MT.
Trout shipments also increased 8 percent to 22,826 MT in the period.
The Salmon Council credited growth in the period to greater operational efficiency, the optimization of existing capacities, and the diversification of destination markets.
“The figures for this semester show an industry that has managed to adapt and operate better. This growth is not due to an expansion of production but to a more efficient management of installed capacity,” Seguel said in a release. “Process optimization and market diversification have made it possible to increase the volumes exported in a demanding context.”
While Seguel applauded the positive performance, she also warned that part of the future development of the sector lies outside of the control of companies. She called on the government to provide greater certainty to the sector so that it can plan with confidence, especially as external trade obstacles like increased tariffs have become unpredictable.
“[The industry’s] ability to adapt has been decisive in this result, but it cannot be the only engine of development. The next step also depends on structural decisions that provide certainty, enable investment, and drive a sustainable response to international demand,” Seguel said.
She has previously been outspoken on the need for increased coordination, calling on the country to advance on a nationwide aquaculture policy that includes regulatory improvements, investment protection, and a long-term salmon development vision to unlock potential and drive further growth.
The election of Chile President José Antonio Kast late last year has given many in the industry hope that the sector may be reaching a positive turning point, as he has promised to streamline permitting, concession relocations, and efforts to reduce regulatory bureaucracy. That, together with improving biological performance and expanding production, recently led Rabobank to predict that Chile may soon become global salmon farming’s principal growth driver.
