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US, BRAZIL CREATE "CONSULTIVE" AG COMMITTEE

WASHINGTON, DC - A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between the US and Brazil to establish a "Consultative Committee on Agriculture (CCA) to coordinate policy in a number of areas including market access, food safety, research, technical assistance and standards setting. The CCA is expected to "provide a forum for the two countries to address bilateral trade issues as they arise, develop recommendations, share ideas and better coordinate policies to benefit farmers, businesses and consumers," according to a spokesman for the US Department of Agriculture. The US, Brazil and several other countries are currently negotiating trade issues for the global Doha Development Agenda of the World Trade Organization and the hemispheric Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). Brazil (as a member of the Cairns Group) and the US "share a commitment to reduce agricultural support and protection and to achieve significant reform in the WTO negotiations," the spokesman said.  In the FTAA, the US and Brazil serve as co-chairs of the negotiations and will preside over the next ministerial to be held in Miami, Florida, in November.

CATFISH FROM VIETNAM DUMPED ON US MARKET, COMMERCE SAYS

WASHINGTON, DC - The Commerce Department has ruled that mports of frozen catfish filets from Vietnam were dumped on the US market. The final affirmative determination released by the Department calculates the dumping margins ranged form 36.84% to 63.88%. Imposition of antidumping duties requires final affirmative determinations both from the Commerce Department that dumping occurred and from the US International Trade Commission (USITC) that the imports injured or threatened US industry. The USITC final determination is expected by August. Commerce determined the dumping margins for four companies that did not cooperate with the investigation as follows: Agifish, 44.76%; Cataco, 45.55%; Nam Viet, 52.90%; and Vinh Hoan, 36.84%. The Department assigned a margin of 44.66% for six other companies that voluntarily responded to the investigation questionnaire. Imports from all other producers would be subject to a Vietnam-wide rate of 63.88%. In 2002 when the investigation was initiated, the government of Vietnam was reported as rejecting claims that Vietnamese producers dumped the frozen fish in the US market as "absolutely baseless." A Vietnam Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said they were an attempt to sabotage trade relations between the two countries. A major agreement normalizing trade relations between the United States and Vietnam went into force in December 2001. Last year, imports of frozen catfish from Vietnam totaled $63 million in value.

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