Trade officials in Chile have decided not to impose safeguard measures against imports of pork, including US pork, following an investigation that found domestic producers were not harmed by pork imports, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) reported.
Chile initiated a “safeguard” investigation in May that included all imported frozen pork, according to NPPC. International trade rules allow countries to implement safeguard measures as temporary actions against imported products that have caused or threaten to cause serious harm to the importing country's domestic industry. The Chilean Pork Producers Association called for a 14.3 percent additional duty on imported pork on the grounds that pork imports had caused losses to its producers. A Chilean commission decided safeguard measures were unwarranted after an investigation that lasted 90 days.
“America’s pork producers are pleased that Chile has found that US pork exports to that country are not harming Chilean pork producers,” said Randy Spronk, NPPC President, a pork producer from Edgerton, Minn. “NPPC believed that the charges of harm were unsupported and led the defense of the US pork industry against any safeguard action.”
Chile was the 12th most valuable export destination for US pork products in 2012, totaling almost 17,000 metric tons valued at more than $42 million, according to NPPC. Chilean pork producers continue to account for more than 95 percent of domestic consumption, and they also have significantly increased sales in export markets.
