Farmscape for March 16, 2006  (Episode 2089)

The Canadian Pork Council will be pressing for the elimination of countervail and antidumping duties on imported unprocessed US grain corn when the Canadian International Trade Tribunal begins pubic hearings next week.

In December the Canada Border Services Agency found there was evidence to indicate subsidized US grain corn was being dumped into Canada and imposed provisional antidumping and countervailing duties totaling $1.65 US per bushel on the imports.

Yesterday CBSA reaffirmed that decision, indicating provisional duties will remain in effect until the Canadian International Trade Tribunal concludes its injury investigation.

Canadian Pork Council Executive Director Martin Rice says corn users will argue for elimination of those duties when the CITT conducts public hearings.

Clip-Martin Rice Canadian Pork Council

Regardless of any improvement in the duty rate we will be still be taking full investigation of the final injury investigation to challenge the injury claim and to prevent the duty from becoming permanent.

We have seen corn imports actually decline during this period of investigation so that the argument that the injury is created as a result of changes in imported corn is simply not easily substantiated.

Our arguments will be that the prices that Canadian corn producers are experiencing have not been adversely impacted by increased imports.

The facts are that the imports have actually been declining on a declining trend.

If the Canadian International Trade Tribunal finds Canadian corn growers are being harmed by the imports when it issues its final injury determination,  the duties will become permanent but, if it finds no injury, the duties will be dropped, those already collected will be refunded and the case will end.

The CITT will begin public hearings in Ottawa March 20 and is expected to make a decision by April 18.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

       *Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council