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Robust action has been demanded in response to punitive new EU tariffs attacking the UK steel industry. Simon Boyd, managing director of structural steel firm REIDsteel, has called on the UK Government to levy hard-hitting reciprocal measures to protect producers, manufacturers and the wider economy. His comments come after the EU set out plans to cut the amount of tariff-free steel that can be imported into the bloc by half and apply a 50% tariff to all steel imports beyond this. Simon, who campaigned to save British Steel blast furnaces at Scunthorpe earlier this year, warned the tariffs would have a devastating impact. “The total EU market for structural steel is 8 million tonnes per annum, of which the UK is currently granted a tariff-free quota of 108,000 tonnes, equivalent to less than 2% of the market. “Conversely, the UK market is 800,000 tonnes per annum while EU producers have a tariff-free quota of 680,000 tonnes, equivalent to 85% of the UK market. Hardly fair trade. “The EU has announced measures to prevent dumping of Chinese steel into its markets. As part of these measures, the EU proposes to reduce the UK’s tariff-free quota by 50% to less than 1% of their market. “In reality, EU producers have pretty much completely unlimited access to the UK market tariff free while our access to the EU market will be virtually shut down.” Simon added: “All UK producers will be impacted by this change in policy. Not only will exports be impacted but the UK will see a flood of material if we don’t tighten our own trading measures. “The government needs to react boldly and find a way to exclude the UK from this EU action and threaten retaliation with equal and proportionate measures.” The UK steel sector directly employs 36,800 people and supports another 46,000 jobs in the supply chain, according to figures from UK Steel in June of this year. It makes a £1.7bn direct contribution to the UK economy, an additional £2.2bn to the supply chain and a direct contribution of £3.1bn to the UK’s balance of trade. Simon added: “This is a wholly unacceptable attack on the UK steel industry. “The EU may need to prop up its own ailing steel sector and fight off Chinese steel dumping but this cannot be at the expense of the UK. There is no time to lose.” REIDsteel is based in Christchurch, Dorset, UK, has exported to more than 140 countries in 106 years of trading.