June 15, 2021
Ornua Co-Operative, owner of the iconic Kerrygold brand, welcomes the five year suspension of tariffs on Irish dairy products into the US. Ornua are responsible for 90% of butter exported from the EU into the US and these punitive tariffs represented an unwelcome and unnecessary barrier to doing business.
Kerrygold achieved remarkable growth in the US in 2020, throughout the imposition of tariffs, due to the change in consumer behaviour as a result of Covid-19. In 2020 Kerrygold became the preferred dairy brand of 10% of US consumers, building on the premium reputation of Irish butter among American consumers.
Commenting on today’s development, John Jordan, CEO Ornua said ‘We welcome today’s decision to prolong the suspension of punitive tariffs on Kerrygold in the US. The removal of tariffs represents a unique opportunity for continued growth and further investment in the US market in line with our ambitious growth strategy. Kerrygold is currently the No. 2 butter brand with significant opportunity to further grow its market share in a 330 million consumer market.’