Lumber Producers statement on U.S. anti-dumping and countervailing duties

For immediate release
August 8, 2022

New countervailing and anti-dumping duties announced last week by the U.S. Department of Commerce are unfair and will be appealed, the New Brunswick Lumber Producers said today. 

“While any movement is welcomed, we maintain our position that these duties are unjust,” said Jerome Pelletier, Chair of the New Brunswick Lumber Producers (NBLP) and Vice President of J.D. Irving, Limited’s sawmills division. “New, lowered countervailing duties for J.D. Irving, Limited seem to agree with our position that the province’s softwood industry is not subsidized, and that New Brunswick’s mills are being treated unfairly. We believe the historic Maritime Provinces’ exemption from U.S. lumber duties should be reinstated.”

New Brunswick’s crown royalty system, which is based on the New Brunswick Forest Products Commission’s robust and independent survey of private stumpage transactions each year, has been in place since the 1982 Crown Lands and Forests Act and has historically been a key reason why the maritime provinces were excluded from U.S. softwood countervailing duties.

The NBLP will challenge the new rates through an appeal in the coming weeks. Pelletier added, “We also continue to believe that a negotiated settlement between the Canadian and U.S. Governments is the appropriate solution.”

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 About the New Brunswick Lumber Producers (NBLP)

The New Brunswick Lumber Producers are an integral part of New Brunswick’s forest value chain, operating in 15 rural communities and representing 95 per cent of the softwood lumber production in the province. The NBLP are the largest wood buyers for the local private woodlot owners, supporting thousands of mill employees, professional loggers, truckers and silviculture workers, in all regions of New Brunswick. The NBLP are also the largest supplier of wood chips, biomass and sawdust, which are the key ingredients in the manufacturing of New Brunswick pulp, paper and wood pellet products.

Members:
J.D. Irving Limited                               Marwood Ltd.
Chaleur Forest Products                        Delco Forest Products
Devon Lumber Co. Ltd.                          H.J. Crabbe & Sons
Twin Rivers Paper Co.                            North American Forest Products