March 16, 2011
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States on Tuesday extended tariffs on shrimp from Thailand and other nations, siding with fishermen on the Gulf of Mexico coast who feared a new economic blow.
The International Trade Commission, an autonomous US agency, voted 5-1 to keep duties on shrimp from Brazil, China, India, Thailand and Vietnam for "dumping," or selling exports at artificially low prices.
The duties were first imposed in 2005 and had been set to expire. They will now be in place until 2016.
In a statement, the commission said it found that revoking antidumping tariffs "would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time."
Thailand is by far the biggest exporter of shrimp to the United States, shipping nearly 450 million pounds (200 million kilograms) last year despite the punitive tariffs, according to US Agriculture Department figures.
Lawmakers from the Gulf Coast had urged the commission to extend the tariffs, saying that the area -- one of the poorest in the United States -- was suffering from Hurricane Katrina and last year's BP oil spill.
Senator Mary Landrieu, a Democrat from Louisiana, hailed the decision, saying it "will go a long way to ensuring that our region, and indeed our nation, does not lose this unique and important industry."
Senator Thad Cochran, a Republican from Mississippi, also praised the commission for ruling that imported shrimp were excessively underpriced.
"Shrimping is not an easy business, but it is a time-honored way of life on the Gulf Coast," Cochran said.
The decision had been closely watched by industry in Thailand and other nations.
Importers had sought to remove the tariffs, saying that the foreign shrimp provided low-cost food for US consumers and restaurants.
