On Monday 5 October 2026, the Trade Remedies Authority published its intended final determination and recommendation for remedies in the anti-dumping investigation into boom lifts from China. In the Authority's Statement of Essential Facts, it said the evidence shows that imports have been dumped on the UK market and that this has caused, or is causing, injury to the domestic industry. The current proposal is for anti-dumping duties of up to 82.89%. That does not complete the process on its own, but it places the case firmly on the path to a ministerial decision and signals that the Authority's analysis has moved beyond provisional concern to a defined remedy proposal.
Boom lifts, often described as cherry pickers, are aerial work platforms used to raise workers, materials and equipment to height. The equipment is used across construction, maintenance and installation work, which means the case is relevant not only to manufacturers and importers, but also to rental operators, contractors and other business users. That wider market relevance is important. A confirmed duty would not sit only within trade law paperwork; it could affect equipment sourcing, contract pricing and procurement decisions across sectors that depend on access platforms for routine operations.
The investigation began on 19 December 2025. According to the Trade Remedies Authority, its assessment covered import volumes, production costs, pricing data and injury indicators, and the Authority calculated that Chinese boom lift prices undercut the UK industry by more than 25%. The evidence base is tied to specific periods. The period of investigation runs from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025, while the injury assessment covers 1 October 2021 to 30 September 2025. In practical terms, those dates define which commercial data can be used to test whether pricing behaviour and market effects meet the legal standard for action.
Under the UK's trade remedies system, anti-dumping duties are used where goods are sold below their normal value, usually judged against the price of like goods in the exporter's home market. The Trade Remedies Authority, which operates at arm's length from the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, is the independent body responsible for investigating whether that threshold has been met. This case also turned on the Economic Interest Test. The Authority said it examined the likely economic effects, both positive and negative, of imposing a remedy and concluded that a measure on Chinese boom lifts would be in the economic interest of the UK.
The latest publication follows earlier government action. On 20 August 2026, the UK Government imposed provisional anti-dumping measures on imports of boom lifts from China after an earlier recommendation from the Trade Remedies Authority. The significance of the 5 October publication is that it shifts the case from provisional protection towards a final recommendation. If the Authority maintains its view after considering any further evidence, it intends to send the remedy proposal to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.
Businesses that may be affected have until 20 October 2026 to submit comments through the Trade Remedies Authority's public file. That stage matters because interested parties still have an opportunity to challenge the analysis, provide additional evidence or comment on the proposed duty levels before the recommendation is finalised. For UK producers, the proposed measure offers a possible correction where imported goods have been found to undercut domestic prices by a substantial margin. For importers and downstream users, the immediate concern is whether the duty rates remain at the level now proposed and how far any extra cost can be absorbed, renegotiated or passed through.
The remaining steps are procedural, but they carry commercial weight. The Authority will review any submissions received by the deadline, decide whether the record needs to be adjusted, and then finalise its recommendation for ministers. For firms exposed to this market, the immediate task is to treat the case as an active policy decision rather than a distant consultation. Supply contracts, order pipelines and pricing assumptions may all come under review before the ministerial stage is reached, particularly where businesses rely on Chinese-sourced access equipment.