Border agency slaps duty on greenhouse pepper imports

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

by SUSAN MANN

Ontario greenhouse pepper growers have won the first round in their fight to mitigate financial and market damage caused by Dutch importers selling sweet bell peppers into their market at very low prices.

The Canada Border Services Agency slapped a temporary duty of 95 per cent of the export price on imported Dutch sweet bell peppers after releasing a preliminary decision Monday stating the peppers are being dumped into the Canadian market.

George Gilvesy, general manager of the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers, says they’re pleased the Agency and the Canadian International Trade Tribunal have agreed “with our initial instincts that we’ve been harmed by this action.”

The temporary duty went into effect Monday and is slated to be in place until Oct. 19, Gilvesy says. It applies to Dutch bell peppers being sold across Canada.

Ontario’s growers are hopeful the duty is adequate to stop product “continuing to be dumped here in Canada,” he says. “We’re pleased with the level of the duties.”

The next step in the process is for the Canadian International Trade Tribunal to begin investigating the extent of injury. The Tribunal is expected to issue its findings by Oct. 19.

“We’re now heading into the main investigation, which is going to be a big undertaking for our organization,” Gilvesy says, noting greenhouse pepper growers across Canada have supported Ontario’s efforts to stop the dumping.

Growers, exporters and importers will have to complete a survey from the Tribunal. Gilvesy says the greenhouse association will distribute the survey to its 41 grower members within the next two days.
 
The association will also be answering some questions on behalf of all growers and it will participate in the hearing process, he says. The hearing is expected to be held in September.

As for the outcome of the Tribunal’s investigation, he says “we can only continue to hope they see the case the same way we have as they get deeper into their investigation.”

The Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers launched the dumping complaint Jan. 29 because Dutch importers are selling bell peppers below their cost of production into the Canadian marketplace. This has continued over a period of years and has caused serious financial injury to Canadian growers.

Gilvesy says the Agency used the past three years when it made its preliminary determination of dumping.

A spokesperson for the embassy of The Netherlands in Ottawa couldn’t be reached for comment. BF