§ Mr. Matthew BanksTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what action he is taking to prevent the dumping in the United Kingdom of low-quality ammonium nitrate by the former eastern bloc countries; and if he will ensure that imported ammonium nitrate is bagged and labelled correctly.
§ Mr. Needham[holding answer 11 February 1993]: Anti-dumping action is a matter for the European Commission, which is currently investigating a complaint by the Fertiliser Manufacturers Association that ammonium nitrate is being dumped in the United Kingdom by certain republics of the former Soviet Union. The Government have urged the Commission to complete its investigation quickly and will consider carefully any proposals for anti-dumping measures which the Commission then makes. As regards bagging and labelling of dangerous substances such as ammonium nitrate, imports must comply with the relevant United Kingdom legislation and inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive are responsible for checking on this during visits to ports.