Petition Filed for New AD Duties on Methionine
A domestic manufacturer filed a petition on July 28 with the Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission requesting new antidumping duties on methionine from France, Japan and Spain. Commerce will now decide whether to begin AD duty investigation on methionine. The investigation was requested by Novus International.
Methionine is an amino acid, principally used in scientifically formulated animal feeds, including poultry feed, swine feed, pet foods, and feed for other animals, as well as fermentation feed stock for broad-based antibiotics, single cell protein, and research, the petition said. An AD duty order on methionine from Japan was in place from the early 1970s until it was revoked in 1999. Methionine is currently subject to Section 301 tariffs when imported from China.
Proposed Scope
The petition proposes the following scope for the investigations:
The merchandise covered by this investigation is methionine and precursors to methionine, including dl-Hydroxy analogue of dl-methionine, also known as 2-Hydroxy 4-(Methylthio) Butanoic acid (HMTBa), regardless of purity, particle size, grade, or physical form. Methionine has the chemical formula C5H11NO2S, liquid HMTBa has the chemical formula C5H10O3S, and dry HMTBa has the chemical formula C6H9CaO5S.
Subject merchandise also includes methionine processed in a third country including, but not limited to, refining or any other processing that would not otherwise remove the merchandise from the scope of this investigation if performed in the country of manufacture of the in-scope methionine or precursors of methionine.
Methionine that is otherwise subject to this investigation is not excluded when commingled (i.e., mixed or combined) with methionine from sources not subject to this investigation. Only the subject component of such commingled products is covered by the scope of these investigations.
Methionine is currently classified under subheadings 2930.40.00.00 and 2930.90.46.00 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). Methionine has the Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) registry numbers 583-91-5, 4857-44-7, 59-51-8 and 922-50-9. While the HTSUS subheadings and CAS registry number are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written description of the scope of this investigation is dispositive.
Commerce Accepting Comments on Petition Support
The Commerce Department is accepting comments on domestic industry support for the petitions to determine whether the petitions meet the dual requirements of support by domestic producers or workers accounting for (1) at least 25% of the total production of the domestic-like product and (2) more than 50% of the production of the domestic-like product produced by that portion of the industry expressing support for, or opposition to, the petition. If the petitions meet these requirements, among others, Commerce will initiate an antidumping duty investigation. Comments are due Aug. 17.
Email ITTNews@warren-news.com for a copy of the petition.