New Brunswick softwood lumber producers, who had been exempt from U.S. tariffs in the past, will now have to pay 20.83 per cent duty, although producers in the rest of Atlantic Canada will be exempt. …Lumber products certified by the Atlantic Lumber Board as being first produced in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia or Prince Edward Island are excluded from any duties. Roger Melanson, New Brunswick’s minister responsible for trade, calls the decision “unfounded and unfair” for his province. Forestry giant J.D. Irving won’t pay tariffs as high as other producers in New Brunswick. Instead they’ll have to pay 9.92 per cent. …He said New Brunswick needs to get the facts in front of the World Trade Organization or a NAFTA panel.