RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/SG/N/6/USA/3
2April 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-1193)
Original: English Committee onSafeguards
NOTIFICATION UNDER ARTICLE 12.1(A) OFTHE
AGREEMENT ONSAFEGUARDS ONINITIATION OF
ANINVESTIGATION AND THE REASONS FOR IT
UNITED STATES
Thefollowing communication, dated 28March 1996, hasbeenreceived fromthePermanent
Mission oftheUnited States.
_______________
Pursuant toArticle 12.1(a) oftheWTO Agreement onSafeguards, andinlightoftheformat
fornotificationsundertheAgreementonSafeguardsadoptedbytheCommitteeonSafeguards(G/SG/N/6,
7February 1995), theUnited States notifies thatitscompetent authorities haveinitiated asafeguards
proceeding, asfollows:
1. Dateinvestigation wasinitiated: 11March 1996.
2. Product subject toinvestigation: Fresh tomatoes andbellpeppers, provided forinsubheadings
0702.00.20, 0702.00.40, 0702.00.60, and0709.60.40 oftheHarmonized Tariff Schedule ofthe
United States. Forpurposes ofthisinvestigation, “fresh tomatoes ”aredefined asfresh orchilled
tomatoes, including butnotlimited tothevarieties known scientifically asLycopersicon esculentum,
Lycopersicon cerasiforme ,andLycopersicon pyriforme ,butexcluding tomatoes grown forprocessing.
“Bellpeppers, ”alsocalled sweet peppers, aredefined asfresh orchilled peppers belonging tothe
species Capsicum annuum var.annuum ,butexcluding peppers grown forprocessing.
3. Reasons fortheinitiation: Theinvestigation wasinitiated onthebasis ofapetition filedon
behalf ofthedomestic industry, andontheinformation andevidence contained therein. Acopy of
thepetition willbesubmitted totheCommittee separately aspartofthenotification. Acopyofthe
notice ofinstitution andscheduling ofaninvestigation isalsobeing submitted aspartofthenotification.
These documents areavailable intheWTO Secretariat forinspection bygovernment representatives.1
1Interested delegations arerequested tocontact Miss S.Aspinall, Office 1028, Tel: 7395109.G/SG/N/6/USA/3
Page2
UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION
Investigation No.TA-201-66
FRESH TOMATOES AND BELL PEPPERS
AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.
ACTION: Institution andscheduling ofaninvestigation under section 202oftheTrade Actof1974
(19U.S.C. Section 2252) (theAct).
SUMMARY: Following receipt ofapetition filedon11March 1996, onbehalf oftheFlorida Fruit
&Vegetable Association, Orlando, FL,theFlorida BellPepper Growers Exchange, Inc.,Orlando,
FL,theFlorida Commissioner ofAgriculture, Tallahassee, FL,theAdHocGroup ofFlorida Tomato
Growers andPackers, andindividual Florida bellpepper growers, theUSInternational Trade
Commission instituted Investigation No.TA-201-66 under section 202oftheTrade Act,todetermine
whether fresh tomatoes andbellpeppers, provided forinsubheadings 0702.00.20, 0702.00.40,
0702.00.60, and0709.60.40 oftheHarmonized Tariff Schedule oftheUnited States, arebeing imported
intotheUnited States insuchincreased quantities astobeasubstantial cause ofserious injury, orthe
threatthereof,tothedomesticindustryproducinganarticlelikeordirectlycompetitivewiththeimported
article.2
Forfurther information concerning theconduct ofthisinvestigation, hearing procedures, and
rules ofgeneral application, consult theCommission 'sRules ofPractice andProcedure, part201,
subparts Athrough E(19CFR part201), andpart206,subparts AandB(19CFR part206).
EFFECTIVE DATE: 11March 1996.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jonathan Seiger (202-205-3183), Office of
Investigations, USInternational Trade Commission, 500EStreet SW,Washington, DC20436.
Hearing-impaired persons canobtain information onthismatter bycontacting theCommission 'sTDD
terminal on202-205-1810. Persons withmobility impairments whowillneedspecial assistance in
gaining access totheCommission should contact theOffice oftheSecretary at202-205-2000. General
information concerning theCommission mayalsobeobtained byaccessing itsinternet server
(http://www.usitc.gov orftp://ftp.usitc.gov ).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Participation intheinvestigations andservice list. Persons wishing toparticipate inthe
investigation asparties must fileanentry ofappearance withtheSecretary totheCommission, as
provided insection 201.11 oftheCommission 'srules, notlaterthan21daysafterpublication ofthis
notice intheFederal Register .TheSecretary willprepare aservice listcontaining thenames and
addresses ofallpersons, ortheirrepresentatives, whoareparties tothisinvestigation upontheexpiration
oftheperiod forfiling entries ofappearance.
2Forpurposes ofthisinvestigation, “fresh tomatoes ”aredefined asfresh orchilled tomatoes, including but
notlimited tothevarieties known scientifically asLycopersicon esculentum, Lycopersicon cerasiforme ,and
Lycopersicon pyriforme ,butexcluding tomatoes grown forprocessing. “Bellpeppers, ”alsocalled sweet peppers,
aredefined asfresh orchilled peppers belonging tothespecies Capsicum annuum var.annuum ,butexcluding
peppers grown forprocessing.G/SG/N/6/USA/3
Page3
Limited disclosure ofconfidential business information (CBI) under anadministrative protective
order (APO) andCBIservice list.Pursuant tosection 206.17 oftheCommission 'srules, theSecretary
willmake CBIgathered inthisinvestigation available toauthorized applicants under theAPO issued
intheinvestigation, provided thattheapplication ismade notlaterthanseven daysafterthepublication
ofthisnotice intheFederal Register .Aseparate service listwillbemaintained bytheSecretary for
those parties authorized toreceive CBIunder theAPO.
Hearings oninjury andremedy. TheCommission hasscheduled separate hearings inconnection
withtheinjury andremedy phases ofthisinvestigation. Thehearing oninjury willbeheldbeginning
at9.30a.m.on3June1996, attheUSInternational Trade Commission Building. Intheevent that
theCommission makes anaffirmative injury determination orisequally divided onthequestion of
injury inthisinvestigation, ahearing onthequestion ofremedy willbeheldbeginning at9.30a.m.
on1August 1996. Requests toappear atthehearings should befiledinwriting withtheSecretary
totheCommission onorbefore 17May1996, and15July1996, respectively. Allpersons desiring
toappear atthehearings andmake oralpresentations should attend prehearing conferences tobeheld
at9.30a.m.on21May1996, and18July1996, respectively, attheUSInternational Trade Commission
Building. Oraltestimony andwritten materials tobesubmitted atthehearing aregoverned by
sections 201.6(b)(2) and201.13(f) oftheCommission 'srules. Parties arestrongly encouraged tosubmit
asearly intheinvestigation aspossible anyrequests topresent aportion oftheirhearing testimony
incamera.
Written submissions. Eachpartyisencouraged tosubmit aprehearing brieftotheCommission.
Thedeadline forfiling prehearing briefs oninjury is28May1996; thatforfiling prehearing briefs
onremedy, including anycommitments pursuant to19U.S.C. Section 2252(a)(6)(B), is25July1996.
Parties mayalsofileposthearing briefs. Thedeadline forfiling posthearing briefs oninjury is
10June1996; thatforfiling posthearing briefs onremedy is8August 1996. Inaddition, anyperson
whohasnotentered anappearance asaparty totheinvestigation maysubmit awritten statement of
information pertinent totheconsideration ofinjury onorbefore 10June1996, andpertinent tothe
consideration ofremedy onorbefore 8August 1996. Allwritten submissions mustconform withthe
provisionsofsection201.8oftheCommission'srules;anysubmissionsthatcontainconfidentialbusiness
information must alsoconform withtherequirements ofsection 201.6 oftheCommission 'srules.
Inaccordance withsection 201.16(c) oftheCommission 'srules, eachdocument filedbya
party totheinvestigation mustbeserved onallother parties totheinvestigation (asidentified bythe
service list),andacertificate ofservice mustbetimely filed. TheSecretary willnotaccept adocument
forfiling without acertificate ofservice.
AUTHORITY: Thisinvestigation isbeing conducted under theauthority ofsection 202oftheTrade
Actof1974; thisnotice ispublished pursuant tosection 206.3 oftheCommission 'srules.
Byorder oftheCommission.
[Signed]
Donna R.Kochnke
Secretary
Issued: 22March 1996