ITC Considering Whether to Issue Preliminary Affirmative Determinations in Pending Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Investigations of Mattresses from 13 Countries
In Late July, 10 U.S. mattress producers and 2 labor unions filed 12 antidumping (AD) and 1 countervailing duty (CVD) petitions with 2 different federal agencies, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), against mattresses imported from 13 countries. The named countries in the AD petitions are Bosnia/Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, India, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Spain and Taiwan. The single CVD petition alleges that mattresses imported from Indonesia benefit from unfair subsidies. Indonesia is already subject to an antidumping order on mattresses. The petitions allege that imported finished mattresses from these countries are unfairly traded and are causing material injury to the US mattress industry.
Last week, by a vote of 5 to 0, the ITC preliminarily determined that there is a reasonable indication that the U.S. mattress industry is materially injured by reason of the targeted imports. This determination has no impact on the import duty rates that apply to these products. Now that the ITC has issued its preliminary determination, DOC will determine whether dumping or unfair subsidization has occurred. DOC will issue its preliminary determinations in these cases in several months.
ISPA will report further developments in these cases as they occurred.