CAN SHORTAGE
Tariffs tap out craft brewers in Canada
Ottawa — Canadian craft brewers are facing an aluminium can shortage and are blaming the supply disruptions on aluminium tariffs, making these small businesses among the first casualties of the Canada-US trade spat. "It’s a terrible time for brewers," said Luke Harford, president of industry association Beer Canada, noting that Canadian tax hikes on beer and new competition from the soon-to-be-legal recreational-use cannabis in October would compound brewers’ tariff woes. Canada is the world’s third-largest aluminium producer, but still imports more than 2-billion cans annually, mostly from the US, according to the government statistical agency. When Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs on US aluminium imports on July 1, brewers said they began receiving notices of price hikes and warnings of supply disruptions. This comes as demand for beer cans is rising in North America to meet changing consumer tastes. In Canada, beer can sales rose 4.3% while bottle sales fell 10.7% in 2017, offi...
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