March 29, 2010, Leamington, Ont. – The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has initiated an anti-dumping investigation with low-priced Dutch sweet bell peppers being sold into the Canadian market. This investigation is taking place due to a complaint of injurious dumping, filed by the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG).

“We are very pleased that the CBSA is proceeding with this action,” said OGVG chairperson Len Roozen. “The continued dumping of Dutch peppers in Canada has severely eroded market returns to Canadian pepper growers, threatening their survival. We expect that this investigation will confirm that dumping of product has occurred and allow for the imposition of anti-dumping measures.”

The OGVG had requested that the CBSA investigate the unfair pricing of greenhouse sweet bell peppers imports from the Netherlands. For the last few years, Dutch exporters have been selling sweet bell peppers into Canada at prices the OGVG believes is below their costs of production, causing serious injury to Ontario growers. The OGVG’s concerns are shared by greenhouse producers in other provinces.

Canada’s Special Import Measures Act permits Canadian producers to seek the imposition of anti-dumping measures when they are injured by foreign producers selling into Canada below the selling prices in their own country, or below their costs of production.

Over the last 10 years, Canadian growers have made substantial investments in greenhouse technology in order to expand the availability of Canadian grown vegetables, including sweet bell peppers. The Ontario greenhouse sector is now the largest cluster in North America, producing over 1,824 acres of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.