BAR WELCOMES EXTENSION OF REBAR ANTI-DUMPING MEASURES

The British Association of Reinforcement (BAR) has welcomed the Government’s decision to extend anti-dumping measures on Chinese steel reinforcement after the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) reversed a 2022 recommendation to scrap the duties.

The measures have been in place since 2016 when China flooded the UK market with cheap imports from steel producers who are often state-subsidised. The TRA last year recommended that the measures, which have been in place since 2016, should be dropped, given the high demand for reinforcement steel from Britain's construction sector and the fall in supply from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. However, TRA has admitted that new data showed imports from other countries were filling the gap in supply of the reinforcement steel. The duties will now run until July 2026.

Announcing the decision Business and Trade Minister Nigel Huddleston said Britain wanted to prioritise "protecting UK steel from unfair competition" and that "This decision will help our strategically vital steel industry, which supports tens of thousands of jobs, to stay competitive.”

Steve Elliott, BAR Chairman, said: “We welcome this support for the UK steel industry and the recognition that there is more than enough steel producing capacity in the UK and Europe.”
He added: “The importation of Chinese steel has negative CO2 impacts. Chinese steel is often manufactured using Basic Oxygen Furnaces which produce up to five times the amount of CO2 compared to the Electric Arc Furnace methods used by UK and European steel mills. In addition, there are the resultant significant shipping CO2 impacts.”

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