Brazil, the world's largest exporter of orange juice, claimed victory in the case in February after it challenged the methodology of the U.S. Department of Commerce used in applying anti-dumping tariffs on Brazilian orange juice.
"Brazil and the U.S. have already consulted and agreed on a 'reasonable period of time' of 9 months for implementation," Brazil's delegation told a meeting of the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body, voicing confidence in full U.S. compliance.
The U.S. delegation said it intended to implement the ruling and had reached an agreement with Brazil on a reasonable timeframe, but did not spell it out in its speech.
The case turned on the consistency of U.S. methodology, known as 'zeroing', with WTO agreements, that Brazil said had first been held in violation of WTO rules back in 2001.
"A decade has passed and 'zeroing' has been challenged and condemned several times," Brazil said.
The orange juice dispute was one of 14 to have been brought against Washington by 9 countries in connection with the use of zeroing, it said.
The U.S. delegation noted its "significant concerns" with the WTO Appellate Body's evaluation of zeroing in past disputes.
"We continue to believe that those reports go beyond what the text of the agreements provides and what negotiators agreed to in the Uruguay Round," it said, referring to the previous global trade liberalisation round.
"Notwithstanding our systemic concerns about the findings in this and earlier zeroing disputes, the United States recognises the systemic importance of compliance with dispute settlement findings," the U.S. delegation said.
The European Union said that there was "no controversy" regarding the issue of whether WTO rules allow the practice of zeroing. "This issue was resolved a long time ago by the Appellate Body and many times confirmed since then," it said. (Reuters)
