U.S. slaps duties on fresh Canadian mushrooms over ‘flawed’ subsidy claims

WASHINGTON — The United States has put countervailing duties on fresh mushrooms grown in Canada following a U.S. Department of Commerce investigation which the Canadian industry has called “deeply flawed.”

The change, posted in the federal register today, will slap most fresh mushrooms with tariffs of 2.84 per cent.

Separate anti-dumping duties are expected to be added later this month.

The preliminary Commerce investigation said Canadian mushroom producers received unfair government subsidies.

Mushrooms Canada CEO Ryan Koeslag said last week that Canadian growers haven’t engaged in unfair trade practices and producers are not receiving special treatment.

In a news release, Koeslag said the North American mushroom industry is deeply integrated.

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