With the election of Donald Trump as US president, Irish farmers and agri-food exporters will be watching anxiously to see if he follows through on his campaign promise of imposing import tariffs on EU exports.

The US is a major market for Irish dairy exports, accounting for €467m of sales from January to August 2024, €16m of pigmeat and €11m of beef/offal.

Irish dairy exports were caught up in the EU-US trade spat between Boeing and Airbus in 2019 but that was quickly resolved.

The US is a big importer of tariff-free beef from Australia, New Zealand and, to a lesser extent, South American countries.

If these become a target for US tariffs during the incoming Trump presidency, it will make the UK and EU attractive markets, especially if the Mercosur trade deal comes into effect in addition to the UK trade deal with Australia and New Zealand for beef.

His policy on climate will also no doubt be a talking point at COP29, which starts in Azerbaijan on Monday.