WASHINGTON, Dec. 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On December 31, 2025, the Strawberry Growers for Fair Trade (SGFT) filed petitions to counter unfairly low-priced imports that are injuring the winter strawberry industry and which are primarily grown in Florida. Mexican imports that are covered by the investigation include all fresh and chilled strawberries which enter the United States or are sold during the period from November 1 through March 31. SGFT filed the petitions with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) following significant volumes of unfairly priced imports of winter strawberries from Mexico. The petitions allege that the Mexican industry is dumping winter strawberries in the United States, distorting the U.S. market and injuring the American industry and its workers.

"Mexico's use of unfair pricing is harming American companies and workers," said Daniel Pickard, International Trade and National Security practice group leader at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney and lead counsel for SGFT. "The domestic industry is committed to opposing these unfair trade practices and ensuring that American agriculture is able to compete on a level playing field."

Antidumping duties aim to offset the amount a product is sold at less than fair value, or "dumped," in the United States. The dumping margin is calculated by the Department of Commerce. The ITC, an independent agency, determines whether the domestic industry is materially injured, or threatened with injury, as a result of the unfairly traded imports.

The effort to commence this trade investigation underscores the broader concerns that numerous other produce sectors, especially in Florida, have raised regarding the impact of low-priced Mexican imports on American agriculture. Indeed, the U.S. Trade Representative has identified adverse impacts from Mexican seasonal produce as a priority concern that must be resolved during the Joint Review of the Agreement between the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada (USMCA). In the meantime, the current antidumping investigation is being pursued as an urgent and critical tool to protect U.S. growers from the harm caused by a flood of low-priced imports.

The Department of Commerce will determine whether to initiate the investigations within 20 days of the filing (unless extended by an additional 20 days), and the ITC will reach a preliminary determination of material injury or threat of material injury, within 45 days. The entire investigative process will take approximately one year, with final determinations of dumping and injury likely occurring near the end of 2026. Duties can, however, attach to imports of the subject winter strawberries as of the time of the preliminary determinations in the case.

Led by Pickard, the Buchanan team also includes Milton Koch, Grace Welborn, Brandon Custard, Joseph Pickard, Christopher Hargett, Carson Easterling and Miriam Taylor.

Buchanan has a team of international trade and national security attorneys ready to help U.S. companies with U.S. trade remedy laws and trade policy. U.S. AD/CVD tariff laws are one of the only available tools to reestablish an even playing field for American companies and avoid lost sales and profits. Our eBook, Trade Remedy Investigations Handbook, shares details on how diverse domestic industries can take advantage of these laws – antidumping and countervailing duty investigations – to combat unfair foreign competition and ensure that the U.S. market is operating under fair and equal conditions.

About Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney is a national law firm with a proven reputation for providing progressive, industry-leading legal, business, regulatory and government relations advice to regional, national and international clients. We service a wide range of businesses, but have especially deep experience in the finance, energy, healthcare and life sciences industries. Our 475 attorneys and government relations professionals across our current 18 offices proudly represent some of the highest profile and innovative companies in the nation, including 41% of the Fortune 500. We bring to clients intimate knowledge of the players, market forces and political and regulatory landscape, and use our full-service capabilities to protect, defend and advance our clients' businesses.

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