10-Agency Agreement on Import Safety to Include Some 10+2 Data Sharing, Etc.
On October 21, 2010, agency heads and senior leaders from 10 federal agencies met for an Interagency Import Safety Conference to focus on joint efforts to protect the health and safety of the U.S. consumer and the environment from unsafe imports.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
(The 10 agencies are U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Food and Drug Administration (FDA); Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS); National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA); and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).)
ISF (10+2) Data, Conformity Certificates, Among Info to be Shared
According to CBP Commissioner Bersin, the interagency conference and resulting cooperation is part of an effort to build a single face for the U.S. government at ports of entry. Among other things, some of the agencies will increase information sharing, including the sharing of “10+2” data1, certifications of conformity, etc.
CBP to Launch New Document Imaging Feature at Ports
Bersin added that within the next few days, CBP would be launching a new document imaging capability at ports of entry to allow the information from paper documents, such as CPSC General Conformity Certificates that were not submitted electronically, to be uploaded and made available to the ten participating agencies via the International Trade Data System (ITDS).
10 Agencies Agree to Six Principles on Info Sharing, Risk Management, Etc.
The ten agencies agreed to six key principles of import safety, providing a foundation for further collaboration and cooperation among the agencies charged with protecting U.S. consumers from unsafe imports.
The principles the 10 agencies will follow call for:
- Use of risk-management - the use of risk-management strategies to streamline lawful trade.
- Consistent, strong enforcement - strong, consistent enforcement measures to deter imports of unsafe products;
- Info sharing on imports - continued commitment to information sharing across federal agencies involved in import safety concerns;
- Common info exchange systems - development of common systems to exchange information;
- Private sector outreach - enhanced efforts to help the private sector comply with import safety requirements;
- Interagency forum - the creation of an interagency forum of senior representatives dedicated to import safety cooperation;
Also Signed MOU to Improve Targeting, Enforcement at CTAC
Some of the participating agencies also signed an interagency memorandum of understanding to improve targeting and enforcement efforts at the Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center (CTAC), a fusion center for agencies to share targeting resources, analysis and expertise to achieve the common mission of protecting U.S. consumers from unsafe imports.
Hope Improved Targeting Will Allow Legitimate Trade to Move Faster
According to the agencies, having better inter-agency collaboration or even co-location of staff in some cases helps in the development of better formulas to identify risk and gives each agency access to more complete information. In addition, having ten agencies “buy in” to risk management principles using a greater pool of information will make each agency’s targeting efforts more efficient and effective.
The agencies hope that this in turn will allow legitimate, compliant shipments to flow faster.
1The 10+2 interim final rule mandates that importers and vessel carriers submit additional maritime cargo information (10 data elements for importers and 2 data elements for vessel carriers) to CBP before it is brought into the U.S. Collection of the additional cargo information and their incorporation into CBP’s Automated Targeting System (ATS) are intended to enhance CBP’s ability to identify high-risk shipments and prevent the transportation of potential terrorist weapons into the U.S.
(See ITT’s Online Archives or 10/21/10 and 08/25/10 news, 10102109 and 10082514, for BP summaries announcing the conference.
See ITT’s Online Archives or 09/13/10 news, 10091312, for BP summary of the August 4, 2010 COAC meeting in which CBP discussed progress it was making on document imaging capabilities, inter-agency interfacing, and plans for this conference.)