Mixed opinions are being aired about the latest US proposal in the long-running softwood dispute with Canada, according to industry newsletter Random Lengths.
The plan offered by the US-based Coalition for Fair Lumber Imports would allow Canadian mills to send timber duty-free to America until they reached a 30.5% market share. Big taxes would then kick in.
Some traders believe the mills could live with the C$225 per C$1,000 fee by averaging it into their annual costs. But several large producers have indicated they will not pay the levy in current market conditions.
