May 24, 2004

US Commerce Delays Determining Duties On Canadian Hog Exports

The U.S. Commerce Department said Friday it has postponed the date it will make a preliminary determination on what duties should be applied to Canadian live hog exports until Aug. 16.
 
The Commerce Department had originally intended to make the determination by June 11.
 
A Commerce official said the determination will be preliminary, but after it is made countervailing duties can be applied to Canadian live hogs. The determination will likely change, though, the official said, once a final determination is made at a later date.
 
Commerce began its investigation on April 7 after a petition was filed by the National Pork Producers Council, a group representing U.S. producers, on March 5.
 
The U.S. International Trade Commission ruled earlier this month in a separate procedure that Canadian subsidies do cause injury to U.S. producers. If the ITC had ruled there was no injury, the Commerce Department would have closed its investigation, a Commerce official said.
 
The department, in notice posted Friday in the U.S. Federal Register, said it postponed the preliminary duty determination "due to the extraordinary complicated nature of the case."
 
National Pork Producers Council President John Caspers said in a statement earlier this month: "Unfair Canadian trade practices have resulted in increased Canadian hog exports to the United States which have negatively impacted prices causing financial harm to U.S. pork producers."