US shrimp body to appeal against WTO relief to India

Submits list of 313 exporters for third administrative review.

The Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) is preparing to challenge the recent ruling of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in favour of shrimp exporters from India and Thailand. SSA has urged the US Department of Commerce (DoC) to immediately appeal against the WTO rulings.

RENEWED ATTACK

Since 2001, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been unable to collect around $1 billion in duties from a wide spectrum of unfairly traded products

Under the enhanced bond requirements adopted by CBP in July 2004, exporters subject to anti-dumping duty were required to maintain bonds equal to the amount of estimated duties they would owe on unfairly traded imports in a year's time

SSA contends that the enhanced bonding requirement was successful in curbing unfair trade practices

In a letter to the United States Trade Representative (USTR), SSA has strongly demanded to appeal against the decision at the earliest. John Williams, executive director of SSA, said that WTO decisions were significant barriers to enforce the US trade laws.

"USTR now has to either appeal against the unjustifiable decisions or acquiesce to circumvention of US trade laws by importers," he added.

It is reported that since 2001, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been unable to collect around $1 billion in duties from a wide spectrum of unfairly traded products.

In response to the refusal by importers to pay duties, CBP took action to ensure these duties are collected on shrimp imports by charging reasonable security from importers of unfairly traded goods.

Under the enhanced bond requirements adopted by CBP in July 2004, exporters subject to anti-dumping duty were required to maintain bonds equal to the amount of estimated duties they would owe on unfairly traded imports in a year's time.

But the WTO panel ruled against the provision, stating that the bond requirement and the zeroing principles of DoC to calculate the anti-dumping duty were against the law and hence should be ceased.

SSA has contended that the enhanced bonding requirement was successful in curbing unfair trade practices.

Meanwhile, SSA has submitted a list of 313 Indian exporters for the third round of administrative review on anti-dumping duty.

In a separate list, Louisiana Shrimpers Association (LSA) has submitted a list of two companies, namely Devi Sea foods and Falcon Marine for the third review. DoC has slashed the country average duty for India to 1.09 in the second administrative review.