 |
|
NEWS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Chuck Conner or Shannon Shoesmith January 27, 2000 CORN REFINERS APPLAUD FAVORABLE WTO RULING The U.S. Corn Refiners Association today applauded the final ruling by the World Trade Organization (WTO) which declared Mexico's imposition of antidumping duties on high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to be illegal under the WTO antidumping agreement. Chuck Conner, President of the Corn Refiners Association stated, "This case has been about the Mexican sugar industry's efforts to shelter themselves from competition. Today's WTO ruling affirms the fact that antidumping law cannot be used to protect one industry from fair competition by another industry." A WTO panel found that Mexico's imposition of antidumping duties violated five separate provisions of the antidumping agreement. The panel recommended that the WTO Dispute Settlement Body request Mexico to correct these violations. The WTO panel found that Mexico failed to provide an adequate analysis of threat of injury by examining the potential effect on only a portion of the sugar industry instead of the whole industry. They concluded that Mexico did not act in accordance with WTO rules when imposing final antidumping duties by exceeding the maximum allowable time for provisional duties on HFCS before imposing final antidumping duties and by applying duties retroactively. According to the WTO panel, Mexico also failed to release bond or cash deposits collected during the period of provisional duties and failed to properly explain imposition of retroactive duties. Conner stated, "The Government of Mexico should immediately comply with the decision by terminating the antidumping order." View the USTR Press Release View the WTO Panel Report For more information on the corn refining industry, visit the Corn Capsules newsletter page. 
|