U.S. Trade Representative Kirk announced that the U.S. will contribute $1.05 million for trade-related technical assistance (TRTA) to the World Trade Organization. The WTO’s TRTA program provides training for developing countries that enhances their ability to analyze issues, assess their interests and participate effectively in the negotiations. The program also provides these nations with assistance in meeting their WTO obligations and ensures they fully benefit from the results of WTO negotiations.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service has issued an updated version (July 6, 2010) of its list of Canadian firms eligible to export meat and poultry to the U.S.
On July 2, 2010, APHIS updated its Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) Canadian Border Agricultural Clearance Manual. This Manual serves as a guide for authorized Federal officers at ports of entry along the Canadian Border.
The International Trade Administration requests input regarding foreign or domestic policies or conditions that impede U.S. environmental technology exports to China, with emphasis on water management, to guide the Environment Working Group of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade in its October 2010 Environmental Industries Forum agenda, etc.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared a pest risk analysis which evaluates the risks associated with the importation into the continental U.S. of fresh leaves of perennial wall rocket from the United Kingdom. Comments are due by September 7, 2010.
President Obama has issued a statement on food safety. A year ago, the Food Safety Working Group announced key findings on how to upgrade the food safety system. Since then, the Administration has taken steps to ensure the safety of food. He also thanked the House for its work and support efforts in the Senate to pass S. 510, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act.
The Environmental Protection Agency has forwarded to the Secretaries of Agriculture and Health and Human Services a draft proposed rule to declare a prion (i.e., proteinaceous infectious particle) a pest under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, so a product intended to reduce the infectivity of any prion on inanimate surfaces (i.e., a prion product) is considered to be a pesticide and regulated as such.
The Transportation Department announces that representatives of the U.S. and Barbados have reached an Open-Skies Agreement. Upon its signature, airlines from both countries will be allowed to select routes, destinations and prices for both passenger and cargo service based on consumer demand and market conditions. The agreement, which was reached on July 1, 2010 and provides airlines, for the first time, with codesharing and intermodal rights.