The International Trade Commission is requesting comments by July 3 on its biennial investigation and report on the economic impact of the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA) on U.S. industries and consumers, as well as on the effectiveness of the ATPA in promoting drug related crop eradication and crop substitution efforts by beneficiary countries (332-352). The ITC’s report is scheduled to be transmitted to be congress by September 28, 2012.
Brian Feito
Brian Feito is Managing Editor of International Trade Today, Export Compliance Daily and Trade Law Daily. A licensed customs broker who spent time at the Department of Commerce calculating antidumping and countervailing duties, Brian covers a wide range of subjects including customs and trade-facing product regulation, the courts, antidumping and countervailing duties and Mexico and the European Union. Brian is a graduate of the University of Florida and George Mason University. He joined the staff of Warren Communications News in 2012.
The Foreign Agriculture Service released two fact sheets detailing the benefits of the U.S.-Columbia Trade Promotion Agreement, which took effect May 15, 2012, for U.S. agricultural exporters. FAS said upon implementation of the Colombia TPA, almost 70 percent of current U.S. farm exports to Colombia will immediately become duty-free, and remaining tariffs will be eliminated within 15 years. Until now no U.S. agricultural exports have enjoyed duty-free access to Colombia.
The Agricultural Marketing Service published a final rule establishing the Processed Raspberry Promotion, Research, and Information Order. Under the Order, producers of raspberries for processing and importers of processed raspberries will pay an assessment of up to one cent per pound ($0.022 / kg), with the initial assessment being one cent per pound, which will be paid to the National Processed Raspberry Council. This final rule is effective May 9, 2012, but collection of assessments and applicable reporting and recordkeeping will begin September 5, 2012.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued emails May 14, 2012, announcing changes to some Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals. While some changes are minor, other changes may affect the admissibility of the plant products, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the International Trade Administration posted to U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Web site as of May 11, 2012, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching on the listed CBP message number at http://addcvd.cbp.gov.
On May 10, 2012, the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:
On May 11, 2012, the Food and Drug Administration posted new and revised versions of the following Import Alerts on the detention without physical examination of:
The International Trade Commission is publishing notices in the May 14, 2012, Federal Register on the following AD/CV injury, Section 337 patent, and other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will appear in another ITT article):
The Foreign Trade Zones Board is issuing the following notices for May 14, 2012:
Related-party trade accounted for 40.5% of total goods trade in 2011, according to a report by the Census Bureau, an absolute increase of 14.6% but a relative decrease from 40.8% to 40.5% as a percentage of total trade. Census said related-party trade accounted for about 48.3% of consumption imports and about 28.9% of total exports. Related-party trade includes trade by U.S. companies with their subsidiaries abroad as well as trade by U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies with their parent companies.Computer and electronic products, transportation equipment, and chemicals were the top three goods categories for both directions of trade.