Farm-Scape is sponsored by Manitoba Pork Council and Sask Pork Play Audio Farm-Scape is a Wonderworks Canada production and is distributed courtesy of Manitoba Pork Council and Sask Pork.

Farm-Scape, Episode 1514

The Canadian Pork Council reports seven hog operations in Manitoba and Ontario have been targeted for questioning as part of a US countervailing duty investigation.

Last week the US International Trade Commission determined there is a reasonable indication unfairly traded hogs imported from Canada are injuring US pork producers, clearing the way for countervail and antidumping investigations to proceed.

CPC Executive Director Martin Rice says the preliminary ruling is a pretty standard development in these cases and the process of gathering information for the investigations had actually already begun.

"Last week actually there was the issuance of questionnaires to Canadian governments with programs that are going to be investigated and, as well, some individual exporters and producers who will be asked for information on whether or not they have received payments for those programs which the US industry alleges are providing unfair benefits. A similar process will happen, as it always does, on the dumping side.

On dumping it's entirely information collected from industry, by the producer associations. The questionnaires for countervailing duty investigation will be on the specific programs that the NPPC has alleged are providing countervailable subsidies and so they'll be asked for information on what amounts they have received.

On the dumping side they'll be asked information about their corporate structure, prices received on hogs they sell in the United States, prices received on hogs they sell in Canada and what are their costs of production."

Rice says, on the countervail side, two exporters and five producers who go through exporters have been identified as respondents and have been issued questionnaires but questionnaires on the antidumping side have not yet been issued.

He says, in both cases, respondents will likely also be visited by US Department of Commerce staff.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.