Novus International Files Methionine Antidumping Petitions

On July 29, 2020, Novus Worldwide, Inc. (Novus) filed antidumping (AD) petitions on methionine from France, Japan and Spain. Methionine is a sulfur-containing amino acid that’s mostly used as an additive for animal feed.

The U.S. AD regulation imposes particular tariffs to counteract imports which can be offered in the USA at lower than “regular worth.” For AD duties to be imposed, the U.S. authorities should decide not solely that dumping and is going on, but in addition that there’s “materials damage” (or risk thereof) by cause of the dumped imports. Importers are answerable for any potential AD duties imposed. As well as, these investigations might affect purchasers by rising costs and/or lowering provide of methionine.

Scope

Per the petition:

The merchandise lined by this investigation is methionine and precursors to methionine, together with dl-Hydroxy analogue of dl-methionine, often known as 2-Hydroxy 4-(Methylthio) Butanoic acid (HMTBa), no matter purity, particle measurement, grade, or bodily type. Methionine has the chemical formulation C5H11NO2S, liquid HMTBa has the chemical formulation C5H10O3S, and dry HMTBa has the chemical formulation C6H9CaO5S. 

Topic merchandise additionally consists of methionine processed in a 3rd nation together with, however not restricted to, refining or another processing that might not in any other case take away the merchandise from the scope of this investigation if carried out within the nation of manufacture of the in-scope methionine or precursors of methionine.

Methionine that’s in any other case topic to this investigation shouldn’t be excluded when commingled (i.e., blended or mixed) with methionine from sources not topic to this investigation. Solely the topic part of such commingled merchandise is roofed by the scope of those investigations.

Methionine is at the moment labeled beneath subheadings 2930.40.00.00 and 2930.90.46.00 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the USA (HTSUS). Methionine has the Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) registry numbers 583-91-5, 4857-44-7, 59-51-Eight and 922-50-9. Whereas the HTSUS subheadings and CAS registry quantity are offered for comfort and customs functions, the written description of the scope of this investigation is dispositive.

Estimated Dumping Margins

France: 17.34%

Japan: 103.31%

Spain: 36.43%

Estimated Schedule of Investigation

The next is an estimated schedule of investigations by the U.S. Division of Commerce (DOC) and the U.S. Worldwide Commerce Fee (ITC):

July 29, 2020 — Petition is filed.

August 18, 2020 — DOC initiates investigation.

August 19, 2020 — ITC employees convention (estimated).

September 14, 2020 — Deadline for ITC preliminary damage willpower.

January 5, 2021 — Deadline for DOC preliminary AD determinations, if deadlines are NOT postponed.

February 24, 2021 — Deadline for DOC preliminary AD determinations, if deadlines are absolutely postponed.

July 9, 2021 — Deadline for DOC closing AD determinations, if all deadlines are absolutely postponed.

August 23, 2021 — Deadline for ITC closing damage willpower, if all DOC deadlines are absolutely postponed.

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