Source: Coalition of Gulf Shrimp Industries

Commerce Moves Forward With Coalition of Gulf Shrimp Industries (COGSI) Petition to Obtain Relief From Unfairly Subsidized Imports

BILOXI, Miss., Jan. 18, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) initiated investigations on subsidized imports of shrimp from China, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, determining that the Coalition of Gulf Shrimp Industries had provided sufficient information to warrant investigations that may lead to the imposition of countervailing duties on nearly $4.3 billion of shrimp imports. COGSI filed petitions seeking relief from subsidized shrimp imports on December 28, 2012.

"We commend the Department of Commerce for initiating these seven investigations," said David Veal, Executive Director of COGSI. "We have provided information documenting more than one hundred government subsidy programs benefitting shrimp producers in these seven nations. Now the Department will seek information from these governments and foreign producers to determine the full extent of subsidies they are receiving."

"The industry is thankful that we can now move forward with these investigations," said Eddy Hayes, Counsel to COGSI and partner at the firm of Leake Andersson. "The Members of COGSI appreciate that the U.S. Government will now proceed to determine the extent of subsidization these seven governments have provided to their shrimp industries. We continue to believe that the long-term survival of the entire Gulf shrimp community is at stake with this case," he added.

"Our legal team is pleased that the Commerce Department has decided to initiate this important countervailing duty case," said Elizabeth Drake, a partner at the Firm of Stewart and Stewart and the lead attorney on the cases for COGSI.

"Today's determination to initiate is the first step in a process over the next nine months to obtain the relief so desperately needed by our members and by the entire domestic shrimp industry," Veal added.

COGSI filed petitions seeking relief from subsidized shrimp imports on December 28, 2012. The U.S. DOC is responsible for determining whether countervailable subsidies have been provided to producers and exporters of imported goods. The U.S. International Trade Commission ("ITC") also has responsibility for the case, specifically for investigating whether a domestic industry is materially injured (or threatened with material injury) by reason of subsidized imports. 

About the Coalition of Gulf Shrimp Industries: The Coalition of Gulf Shrimp Industries was formed to support these petitions and to work for the long-term survival of the entire Gulf shrimp industry. The domestic producers supporting the petitions account the vast majority of domestic U.S. production, and they represent the industry across the coastal states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas. For a fact sheet with more information on the petitions filed on December 28, 2012 go to www.gulfshrimpcoalition.com.