Preliminary ruling in US goes against Chilean salmon producers

The United States Commerce Department has taken a step towards the possible imposition of financial penalties on salmon producers from Chile.

In a preliminary ruling, the US announced that more than thirty Chilean companies could face import duties under anti-dumping laws designed to protect American producers.

Salmon producers in the US complain that the Chileans undercut their prices by as much as forty percent.

US officials are going to Chile next month to carry out further investigations, and a final decision is expected in May.

Chile says it is confident that its producers will be cleared of dumping.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service