THREAT · Export Alberta · Food & Beverage
The US Section 338 action against Canadian dairy, alcoholic beverages, and motor vehicles escalates in one week. Per customs guidance summarized by GHY International, the 50% additional duties in force since August 22 convert to outright import bans on certain dairy products and alcoholic beverages as of September 29 — and CUSMA origin does not exempt covered goods from either the duty or the ban.
For Alberta’s craft distillers, brewers, and dairy processors, this is a harder stop than a tariff: a 50% duty squeezes a listing, a ban ends it. US alcohol exports had already fallen roughly 81% under the earlier measures, and the September 29 deadline removes what channel remained for covered products.
What it means: If your products fall in the covered categories, the US channel is effectively closing for now — the practical move this week is confirming whether your specific tariff lines are covered, protecting inventory already in transit, and accelerating the markets that remain open: interprovincial listings, UK/EU, and Asia-Pacific, where federal and provincial export supports can offset entry costs.
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