The European Commission has opened a new anti-circumvention investigation into imports of certain Chinese plywood products, following concerns that some importers may be attempting to avoid existing anti-dumping duties by making minor modifications to the products.
According to the Commission, the investigation focuses on hardwood plywood with an ultra-thin softwood face veneer, which it believes may have been used to circumvent anti-dumping duties of up to 90% imposed on Chinese hardwood plywood in 2025.
Imports covered by the investigation will now be registered by EU customs authorities, meaning duties could be applied retrospectively if circumvention is confirmed.
The move follows evidence submitted by the Greenwood Consortium on behalf of the European plywood industry, which highlighted a significant increase in imports of the modified products after the original anti-dumping measures were introduced.
For businesses operating in Great Britain, the investigation does not introduce any new import requirements, as the UK is no longer subject to EU trade defence measures.
However, the position in Northern Ireland is less clear. Under the Windsor Framework, these products are classified by HMRC as ‘at risk’ goods and must be declared using the relevant commodity codes when entering Northern Ireland.
TDUK is seeking clarification on the implications of the new investigation, particularly whether importers could face retrospective tariff liabilities where products entered Northern Ireland without payment of the additional ‘at risk’ tariff but were subsequently sold only within the Northern Ireland market, or whether any retrospective duties would apply only where goods are found to have entered the EU Single Market via the Republic of Ireland.
TDUK will continue to monitor developments and engage with the relevant authorities to provide members with further guidance as soon as additional clarification becomes available.
