Novus International, Inc. filed antidumping petitions with the U.S. Department of Commerce and International Trade Commission. The petitions ask the agencies to investigate imports of methionine from Spain, France and Japan consistent with the World Trade Organization Antidumping Agreement.

Imports of methionine from the three countries are priced substantially lower than U.S. domestic producers’ shipments. “We believe fair and competitive business practices are integral to the health of our industry and are necessary to protect our customers and consumers everywhere,” said Dan Meagher, president and CEO, Novus International, Inc. “Today we took steps to ensure those fair practices.”

The volume of methionine imports into the United States from the three countries (Spain, France and Japan) increased by more than 200% from 2017 to 2019, and another 29% between the first quarter of 2019 and first quarter of 2020.

“The coronavirus pandemic has reminded us of the vulnerability of global supply chains and the impact on highly integrated industries, such as agriculture and food production, when disruptions occur,” said Meagher. “We are simply asking the U.S. government to ensure Spain, France and Japan are abiding by international trade laws.”

The government investigation will determine whether illegal dumping of imported methionine has occurred. The investigation is expected to take approximately 13 months. If the government determines importers did illegally dump foreign products, those importers may have to pay a duty on imports, which would be collected by the government as a tax.