Shrimp Duties Update: Fighting for Higher Duties at Commerce

Who Filed Briefs Arguing for Higher Duties at Commerce?

In addition to the work put in to win an affirmative injury vote at the International Trade Commission reviewed in last week’s Shrimp Duties Updates, ASPA also led the way in advocating for higher antidumping and countervailing duty rates in the six investigations on shrimp from Ecuador, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam at Commerce.

A key part of this advocacy was the filing of case and rebuttal briefs in all six cases. Filing of these briefs is an essential part of pushing for higher duties. The only issues that Commerce is required to address in its final determinations are issues that parties raise in their case and rebuttal briefs. Preservation of these issues in case and rebuttal briefs also gives parties the right to appeal the issues they raised.

Across all six cases combined, ASPA filed 16 case and rebuttal briefs, totaling 562 pages. These briefs addressed 63 different issues that were considered by Commerce in its final determinations. No other domestic parties filed any case briefs or rebuttal briefs in the six Commerce investigations.

“I am grateful for the work that Commerce officials did to investigate unfair trade practices by foreign shrimp producers,” said Trey Pearson, the President of ASPA. “While we did not win every issue we argued, ASPA did the work to get Commerce focused on the issues that mattered, laying the groundwork for relief from dumping and subsidies for years to come.”

This is the seventh in a series of “Shrimp Duties Updates” from ASPA to keep members of our industry informed about the facts and figures underlying ASPA’s shrimp case. These updates will be available on ASPA’s website and you can sign up to receive them. Stay tuned tomorrow for the next Shrimp Duties Update!