Maple industry representative warns tariffs and retaliatory measures could raise equipment and packaging costs

Martin Desilette, president of the International Maple Syrup Institute, told a joint legislative hearing on April 9 that tariffs and reciprocal trade measures are raising costs for equipment, packaging and other inputs used by maple producers in both Canada and the United States.

Desilette said the maple industry spans a broad North American region and includes large packers and equipment manufacturers. He told lawmakers the sector “represents more than…close to $1,800,000,000” and that equipment manufacturers and packaging suppliers are integral to producers’ ability to harvest and bottle maple products.

“Imposing tariffs on the goods that are being transferred back and forth from The U.S. to Canada…creates an elevation in equipment pricing in the maple syrup pricing,” Desilette told the committee. He said the tariffs can increase costs for jugs, glass and other packaging and in some cases lead packers to reroute supply chains to avoid cross‑border duties.

Desilette urged lawmakers and officials to “open up our borders and avoid some additional documentation and tariffs that are being implemented that will just add a lot of cost to the producers and slow down the growth of this…harvest.” He said that both Canadian and U.S. packers rely on cross‑border sourcing for equipment and jugs and that retaliatory measures have already generated additional costs for his members.

Committee members acknowledged the industry’s cross‑border interdependence and noted that some packaging and equipment inputs are largely North American; they directed producers to available state resources and the committee agreed to continue listening to industry impacts as the tariff situation develops.