CBP’s Interagency Import Safety Conference to be Held October 21
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is coordinating an Interagency Import Safety Conference for October 21, 2010.
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Conference to Include CBP, FDA, APHIS, CPSC, ICE, Etc.
According to CBP, conference attendees are expected to include Commissioners and Chairmen from U.S. government agencies that have a role in import safety at the border, including:
- Food and Drug Administration
- Consumer Product Safety Commission
- Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
- Food Safety and Inspection Service
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- National Marine Fisheries Service
- Environmental Protection Agency
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
- Treasury Department
Aim of Conference is to Improve Interagency Collaboration, Communication
According to CBP, the aim of the conference is to improve interagency collaboration and communication in order to safeguard the U.S. from unsafe imports while facilitating legitimate cargo. Key areas of focus will include: (i) the single window concept (through the International Trade Data System (ITDS)); (ii) utilizing a risk management approach to import safety; (iii) facilitation; and (iv) enforcement.
Trade Members to Attend and Share Their Experiences at Border
Various members of the trade community will be invited to attend the conference and discuss their experience with interagency collaboration at the border. These individuals are expected to provide their views on government best practices, problems encountered at the border, and streamlining the import process.
CBP Likely to Seek Expansion of its Import Safety CTAC
In recent Congressional testimony, CBP Commissioner Bersin stated that he planned to invite additional government agency partners to participate as full members in the Import Safety Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center (CTAC). Currently CPSC, FDA, and FSIS are full members of the Import Safety CTAC.
The Import Safety CTAC, established in October 2009, is designed to streamline and enhance federal efforts to address import safety issues. Commissioner Bersin has referred to it as a ‘trade version’ of CBP’s national security targeting system that is focused on issues such as import safety, food and drug safety, intellectual property rights enforcement, and other trade enforcement issues.
(See ITT’s Online Archives or 12/09/09 news, 09120915, for BP summary on the creation of this CTAC.
See ITT’s Online Archives or 07/26/10 news, 10072617, for BP summary of CBP Commissioner Bersin’s congressional testimony on plans for a fall conference with other agencies on import safety targeting.
See ITT’s Online Archives or 06/24/10 news, 10062414, for BP summary of Commissioner Bersin’s remarks at an internal CBP conference where he mentioned plans for a fall conference on how to build a single face for the U.S. government at ports of entry.)
Video of Commissioner Bersin’s opening remarks at August 4, 2010 COAC meeting where he mentions the October conference available at http://ourborder.ning.com/video/commissioner-bersin-at-cbp.