*EPF105 10/18/2004
Swine Imported from Canada Dumped in U.S., Commerce Dept. Says
(Department also affirms dumping in cases affecting China, South Africa) (460)

Washington -- The Commerce Department has ruled that imports of live swine from Canada were dumped on the U.S. market.

In an October 15 preliminary affirmative determination, the department calculated dumping margins ranging up to 15.01 percent.

Imposition of anti-dumping duties requires final affirmative determination both from the Commerce Department that dumping occurred and from the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) that the imports injured or threatened U.S. industry.

In August the department issued a preliminary negative ruling in a parallel subsidy case on imports of live swine from Canada.

Imposition of countervailing duties requires final affirmative determinations both from the department on the issue of subsidies and from the USITC on injury to U.S. industry.

The final Commerce determinations in both cases are expected by March 7, 2005. A negative determination in the subsidy investigation would end the case; an affirmative decision would send it along with the dumping case to the USITC for a final ruling expected by April 21, 2005.

In the meantime, U.S. customs agents will collect a cash deposit or bond on the subject imports equal to the preliminary dumping margins. In case of final negative determinations, the money would be refunded.

Dumping is the sale of an export good at a price below the home-market or a third-country price, or below the cost of production. The dumping margin is the price difference expressed as a percentage of the export price.

A subsidy is a grant conferred on a producer by a government.

The subsidy and dumping investigations were launched after a coalition of U.S. pork producers' associations and more than 100 individual swine producers filed a petition alleging that their Canadian competitors receive illegal subsidies and dump their products on the U.S. market. The U.S. producers requested the imposition of countervailing and anti-dumping duties ranging from 5 to 20 percent.

In 2003, U.S. imports of swine from Canada amounted to $389.3 million, a 27 percent increase from the year before.

In another dumping case, the department announced October 7 a final affirmative determination on imports of hand trucks and their parts from China and calculated final dumping margins ranging from 24.9 to 386.75 percent.

The USITC is scheduled to make a final ruling by November 22.

The department also ruled that imports of aluminum plates from South Africa were sold in the U.S. market at less than fair value. In a final affirmative determination, it calculated the dumping margin at 3.51 percent.

A final USITC ruling in that case is expected by November 18.

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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