Results of Australian investigations unlikely to lead to additional duties on South African processed fruit exports
07 February 2014
The Australian Anti-Dumping Commission has completed its investigations and report on alleged South African dumping of peach products on the Australian market (see Agritrade article ‘ Australian investigation raises wider WTO issues on use of safeguards un...’, 26 August 2013). The report found that “goods exported to Australia by Langeberg & Ashton Foods and Rhodes Food Group had been dumped, but that the dumping margin was less than 2%”. This dumping margin was described by a South African international trade expert as “negligible” and “insignificantly small’. The Australian Anti-Dumping Commission has now terminated its investigation and South African exports will not face anti-dumping duties.
However, in July 2013, Australian fruit canners also tabled an application for safeguard duties of 45% on South African exports. The provisional findings of the Australian Productivity Commission at the end of 2013 “found no grounds for implementing provisional safeguard duties”. The final report, which has been submitted to the Australian government, has not yet been published, with any final decisions on the application of safeguard duties awaiting final government approval.
Editorial comment
In a context where South Africa accounts for 40% of the total processed fruit market in Australia, the respective findings of the Anti-Dumping Commission and the Productivity Commission would appear to reduce the likelihood of additional duties being imposed on South African canned peach products.
This can be seen as good news, given the adverse trade developments affecting other parts of the South African fruit industry, most dramatically the EU’s decision to establish a temporary ban on fresh citrus imports from South Africa on the basis of alleged dangers of Citrus Black Spot infection (see Agritrade article ‘ Debate on Citrus Black Spot continues’, 13 January 2014).
