The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued a proposed rule to amend the livestock exportation regulations to eliminate the requirement for pre-export tuberculosis and brucellosis testing of goats and breeding swine intended for export to countries that do not require such tests. Comments are due by November 16, 2010.
The Department of Agriculture’s Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration is issuing an advance notice of proposed rulemaking to review the U.S. Standards and grading procedures for procedures for rough rice, brown rice for processing, and milled rice under the U.S. Grain Standards Act, as numerous changes have occurred in the breeding and production practices of rice; the technology used to harvest, process, and test rice; and rice marketing since the standards were last revised. Comments are due by December 16, 2010.
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has issued a new circular to provide the alcohol beverage industry with guidance and an explanation of TTB's policy on the voluntary recall of certain mislabeled or adulterated alcohol beverages (wines, malt beverages, and distilled spirits) from the marketplace.
The State Department announces a meeting of the Advisory Committee on International Postal and Delivery Services on October 19, 2010. The agenda of the meeting will include a review of the results of the April 2010 UPU Postal Operations Council, the major issues to arise at the November 2010 UPU Council of Administration, and other subjects related to international postal and delivery services of interest to Advisory Committee members and the public.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced that delegations from the U.S. and Japan met September 14-15, 2010 for discussions on issues related to bilateral trade in beef and beef products. The discussions covered a wide array of technical topics related to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), including: regulations and regulatory processes, risk assessment process for beef and beef products, and import inspection and border measures.
The Environmental Protection Agency states that Administrator Jackson will join ministers from the Methane to Markets Partnership countries in Mexico City on October 1, 2010. At the meeting, the U.S. will work with partner nations to encourage global action to reduce methane emission sources and identify possible additional resources to achieve this goal.
The Millennium Challenge Corporation is reporting for the quarter April 1 through June 30, 2010, on foreign assistance provided under section 605 of the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, and on transfers or allocations of funds to other federal agencies under section 619(b) of the Act.
The International Trade Administration's U.S. Commercial Service is organizing a Trade Mission to Nigeria March 8-10, 2011, to help U.S. firms find business partners and sell equipment and services in Lagos and Abuja, Nigeria. Targeted sectors include, but are not limited to, energy and power generation, health care, information technology, transportation and construction.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has issued a notice announcing the cancellation of the Chairs of the Industry Trade Advisory Committee (ITAC) partially open meeting that was scheduled for September 17, 2010. The meeting will be held at a later date and details will be provided in a later Federal Register notice. (See ITT's Online Archives or 09/03/10 news, 10090325, for BP summary announcing the meeting.)
The Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs announces that it intends to award, through a competitive and merit-based process, two or more cooperative agreements to organizations to implement projects to combat exploitative child labor. The forthcoming solicitations for cooperative agreement applications (SGAs) will be published on www.grants.gov and USDOL/ILAB’s Web site. The SGA(s) will remain open for at least 45 days from the date of publication. All cooperative agreement awards will be made on or before December 31, 2010.