May 4, 2017

 

 

The US International Trade Commission (USITC) on Tuesday, May 2, decided to extend for another five years the imposition of antidumping duties on imports of frozen warm-water shrimp from China, India, Thailand and Vietnam, saying that doing away with the duties would continue to harm the US shrimp industry.

 

The USITC, however, revoked the existing antidumping duty order on imports of the shrimp product from Brazil.

 

In their unanimous decision, the USITC said "revoking the existing antidumping duty orders on imports of frozen warm-water shrimp from China, India, Thailand and Vietnam would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time". 

 

In the case of Brazil, it said "revoking the existing antidumping duty order on imports of this product (frozen warm-water shrimp) from Brazil would not be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time".

 

Therefore, it said, "the existing antidumping duty orders on imports of this product from China, India, Thailand, and Vietnam will remain in place", while that "on imports of this product from Brazil will be revoked".

 

Congressmen's support

 

Several federal and state elected officials had batted for a five-year extension of the antidumping duties on "unfairly traded shrimp imports" from the five countries including Brazil.

 

Three congressmen had testified in a hearing, voicing their support for the trade remedy. 

 

The domestic shrimp industry had contended that the return of unfairly traded imports into the US market would once again lead to a collapse in prices and more fishermen leaving the commercial fishery. 

 

The USITC's action came under the five-year (sunset) review process required by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act, which mandates the Department of Commerce (DOC) to revoke an antidumping duty order after five years unless both the DOC and the USITC determine that revoking the order would likely lead to the continuation or recurrence of dumping and of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time.