By Nathaniel Maandig Rickard, Zachary Walker of Picard, Kentz & Rowe
The federal government’s fiscal year (FY) 2023 concluded on September 30, 2023. Over the course of FY 2023, 62 antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) petitions were filed with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission. Although this represents a significant increase over the 35 petitions filed during the previous fiscal year (i.e., FY 2022) and the 34 petitions filed during the fiscal year prior to that (i.e., FY 2021), the number of new petitions remains significantly below the 114 AD and CVD petitions that were filed in FY 2020.
The number of petitions filed in FY 2023 is in line with the average number of petitions filed annually (62) in the eight-year period between FY 2015 and FY 2022.
The 62 petitions filed in FY 2023 were made on behalf of 10 separate industries and cover the following products:
Paper File Folders
Gas Powered Pressure Washers
Certain Tin Mill Products
Boltless Steel Shelving Units Prepackaged for Sale
Certain Non-Refillable Cylinders
Brass Rod
Certain Paper Shopping Bags
Certain Pea Protein
Mattresses
Aluminum Lithographic Printing Plates
Of the 62 petitions filed in FY 2023, eleven of the petitions involved merchandise from China. Although this is a significant increase in the number of petitions involving Chinese merchandise from the prior fiscal year (FY 2022), China continues to account for a minority of the requests for antidumping and countervailing duties.
The decline in AD and CVD petitions covering merchandise from China has fallen since the Section 301 tariffs were imposed on certain imports from China in 2018. Further, many of the petitions for trade relief follow the implementation of antidumping and/or countervailing duties on the same products originating from China. Specifically, of the ten industry groups for which antidumping and/or countervailing duties were sought in FY 2023, three involved products that are already subject to trade relief when sourced from China (boltless steel shelving (FY 2014); non-refillable cylinders (FY 2020); and mattresses (FY 2018 and FY 2020).
Overall, the 62 petitions filed in FY 2023 were submitted with respect to imports from 30 different countries.
Looking forward, the new fiscal year (FY 2024) has already kicked-off with the filing of 19 new petitions regarding aluminum extrusions from 15 different countries.