Thai Settlement

The SSA remains committed to seeking fair and equitable distributions of antidumping duties to the benefit of the entire industry. Accordingly, the SSA negotiated a proposed settlement with the Thai Frozen Foods Association (TFFA) that would make available a minimum of $100 million in funds for the benefit of the majority of the U.S. shrimp industry in return for the removal of antidumping duties on Thai shrimp. The antidumping orders on shrimp from Brazil, China, India, and Vietnam would not be affected.
The agreement is dependent upon the revocation of the antidumping duty order on Thai shrimp through a “changed circumstances review.” This past winter, the Ad Hoc Shrimp Trade Action Committee (AHSTAC) and TFFA jointly submitted a request to the Department of Commerce to initiate a changed circumstances review to determine whether to revoke the antidumping order on shrimp imports from Thailand. The request was joined by hundreds of shrimp fishermen from throughout the eight states, as well as dozens of shrimp processors, docks, and shoreside facilities.
The request for a changed circumstances review, however, has been strongly opposed by the American Shrimp Processors Association (ASPA). Through four years of CDSOA distributions of collected antidumping duties, ASPA’s members have received roughly $80 million in funds through the program. The organization and its members have a strong interest in maintaining the status quo and have invested substantial resources in opposing settlement as well as any other measure that would result in the more equitable distribution of the benefits of trade relief.
Settlement depends upon the domestic industry as a whole deciding that a settlement agreement provides greater benefits to the industry than continued antidumping duties on shrimp from Thailand. Although ASPA’s membership represents a minority of shrimp processing in the United States, the organization’s opposition necessitates an affirmative demonstration of support for the settlement from the rest of the industry. Unless and until the benefit of trade relief is enjoyed throughout the domestic industry, the realization of the proposed settlement with TFFA will remain the SSA’s primary objective.