TRA announces interim conclusions on welded tubes reconsideration

The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) proposes to change its original decision to re-include galvanised tubes in goods covered by the measure, as it has since been established that this product is produced within the UK. The rationale for this is explained in a report on the TRA’s public file.

Galvanised tubes (non-threaded WTP plated or coated with zinc) are used for a range of purposes including construction uses such as scaffolding poles. If implemented, the change would mean that imports of this product would be subject to a tariff imposed at the border, along with other types of welded tubes and pipes covered by this measure.

The TRA’s intended recommendation is being published on the public file on 12 October and will be available for 14 days to allow interested parties to consider the findings. The TRA will then make its final recommendation to the Secretary of State for International Trade.

Original investigation of the measure

In August 2021, the TRA recommended to the Secretary of State for International Trade that the UK continue to apply the anti-dumping duties to imports from China and Belarus but not to imports from Russia. This was because the TRA’s analysis found that if the measures were removed, producers in Belarus and China would be likely to dump these products in the future and cause harm to UK industry, but that Russian producers would not. The TRA also recommended that the description of goods to which the anti-dumping should be applied be changed to exclude one of the four types of product covered by the measure, as it was not manufactured within the UK. This recommendation was accepted by the Secretary of State for International Trade.

A domestic steel producer subsequently requested that the TRA reconsider its recommendation and provided new data for TRA to consider as part of its investigation. Reconsiderations are an established part of the UK’s tax regime, with many different arms of the Government incorporating them as part of their standard operating procedures. They are one of the main ways businesses can continue to make their case once a decision that affects them has been made.

The TRA’s reconsideration covered the same remit as the original transition review. It considered, within the rules set in the UK’s regulatory framework and the underlying World Trade Organization obligations, whether its original recommendation was correct. As part of this process, the TRA reviewed all relevant material, including additional information provided by interested parties.

Background information

• The Trade Remedies Authority is the UK body that investigates whether new trade remedy measures are needed to counter unfair import practices and unforeseen surges of imports.  Read more about the TRA’s mission in its Business Plan.
• The TRA is an arm’s length body of the Department of International Trade (DIT) launched on 1 June 2021. Before its launch, it operated as the Trade Remedies Investigations Directorate (TRID) of DIT.
• Trade remedy investigations were carried out by the EU Commission on the UK’s behalf until the UK left the EU. Forty-four EU trade remedy measures of interest to UK producers were carried across into UK law when the UK left the EU and the TRA is currently reviewing each one to assess whether it is suitable for UK needs.
• The Welded Tubes and Pipes measure was the first of these measures to be reviewed and the TRA’s review completed in August 2021.
• UK industries concerned about imports have also been able to submit applications for a new trade remedy measure since January 2021. These applications are considered by the TRA to see if there are grounds for an investigation.