President Donald Trump's proposed 30% tariffs rate on EU goods entering the United States "would be devastating for the Irish Whiskey and wider drinks sector" an industry group has warned.

The Irish Whiskey Association (IWA) the all-island trade body for the sector, said any escalation in tariffs by President Trump would have a significant impact.

In a statement the association said: "This move would inflict unnecessary damage on a transatlantic trade relationship that has delivered huge economic value to both Ireland and the US".

President Trump has said the 30% tariffs rate is scheduled to come into effect from August 1.

An additional 10% baseline tariffs rate has been in place on all US imports since April but the US president has frequently threatened further increases to these rates - including the 30% from next month.

According to the IWA the 10% tariffs have already caused "real economic pain for Irish Whiskey producers".

The association said this has resulted in "stalled production and delayed investment and, in some cases, the closure of otherwise viable businesses".

It is concerned that any escalation by the EU on relation to retaliatory measures could "unnecessarily escalate matters" for the sector - particularly as spirits are one of the items included in the EU retaliatory measures currently under discussion.

The IWA is now calling for:

Both sides to continue negotiating to seek to remove all barriers to trade;
The European Commission to keep US Whiskey/bourbon and other drinks products off any retaliation list;
The Irish Government to provide as much support as it can to the Irish whiskey sector such as reducing production costs and establishing sustainable financing structures.  

The association has highlighted that last year there were more than 16 million cases of Irish whiskey sold worldwide, and the US was a "central" market.

It has also warned that the "zero-for-zero tariff trading environment between the EU and US has served the spirits industry well for nearly 30 years".