The Aluminium Federation [ALFED] - the trade association representing the UK aluminium industry - has released a statement confirming its backing of the UK Trade Remedies Authority’s [TRA] anti-dumping investigation into aluminium extrusions originating in China.
The UK Trade Remedies Authority [TRA] has this week announced that it will conduct an investigation into whether aluminium extrusions are being dumped in the UK by businesses in the People’s Republic of China.
The investigation was launched following a complaint by UK producers who claim that their businesses have been negatively impacted by years of allegedly subsidised imports being dumped in the UK.
The dumping is said to have led to the closure of production lines and entire plants, culminating in significant job losses.
The TRA was established as an independent body earlier in June, following the passing of the Trade Act. It functions as the new UK body that investigates whether new trade remedy measures are needed to counter unfair import practices and unforeseen surges of imports.
The TRA is an arm’s length body of the Department for International Trade and conducts trade remedy investigations that were previously carried out by the European Commission on the nation's behalf, when the UK was a European Union member state.
The EU has already introduced an anti-dumping directive on Chinese extrusions, and such extrusions are also subject to similar measures in the US, Canada and Australia.
The Aluminium Federation [ALFED] - a membership organisation representing the entire UK aluminium supply chain - has said in its statement that it is fully supportive of the investigation and believes in upholding free and fair trade for all its members, which includes the introduction of trade remedies where necessary to guarantee a level playing field.
ALFED’s statement reads: “We fully support the investigation being carried out by the TRA and will supply any data or information in the public domain that is required by the TRA to enable them to evaluate if dumping practices exist in the UK aluminium extrusion market.”
The TRA will now gather information from all interested parties to gauge whether aluminium extrusions have been dumped in the UK and whether these acts have caused harm to UK industry. It will also establish whether it would be in the interests of the nation to implement measures to mitigate any damage that the dumping has caused.
