TRA recommends scrapping duties on glass fibre from Egypt

The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) has today (27 October 2025) published its intended recommendation that a countervailing measure on imports of continuous filament glass fibre products from Egypt be revoked.

There is no UK production of the material which could be threatened by the imports and based on historic import data, the TRA estimates that removing this measure could save UK users of glass fibre reinforcements import costs.

Glass fibres are used in the creation of wind turbine blades and in the marine and automotive industries as well as building and construction. The UK imported over £35 million worth of glass fibre in 2024, 7.5% of which was imports originating in Egypt.

The TRA initiated a transition review into the countervailing measure on 20 March 2025 to assess whether the measure was still needed to ensure fairness for UK producers and consumers. The measure was one of 43 inherited from the European Union following the UK's departure from the bloc.

In its Statement of Essential Facts (SEF), the TRA found that, given that there is no current UK production of glass fibre, there is no UK industry to suffer injury from imports and therefore it is appropriate to revoke the countervailing measure.

Interested parties now have until 11:59pm GMT on 10 November 2025 to comment on the SEF and can do so through the Trade Remedies Service.

Notes to editors:

• The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) is the independent UK body that investigates whether trade remedy measures are needed to counter unfair import practices and unforeseen surges of imports.
• The TRA is an arm's length body of the Department for Business and Trade.
• Trade remedies investigations were carried out by the European Union (EU) Commission on the UK's behalf until the UK left the EU. A number of EU measures of interest to UK producers were carried across into UK law when the UK left the EU and the TRA has been reviewing each one to assess whether they are suitable for UK needs.
• The goods reviewed in this investigation are described as:
  • chopped glass fibre strands, of a length of not more than 50mm, or
  • glass fibre rovings, excluding glass fibre rovings which are impregnated and coated and have a loss on ignition of more than 3% (as determined by the ISO Standard 1887).
• Countervailing (anti-subsidy) duties are one of three trade remedies used to address imports of goods that are being unfairly subsidised by overseas governments and causing injury to UK industry.
• The period of investigation for this transition review was 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024. To assess injury, the investigation examined the period from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2024.
• The removal of the measure would take effect from 26 June 2025, which is when the measure would have expired had no transition review been initiated.