The Food Safety and Inspection Service is proposing to amend its regulations to establish a uniform 30-day deadline and uniform procedures for appealing FSIS inspection decisions or actions, it said in a notice released July 14. Current agency regulations specify various time requirements for appeals or specify no period at all, FSIS said. The proposed rule would apply to import inspection establishments. Comments are due Sept. 13.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation announced July 8 that Special Import Quota #12 for upland cotton will be established July 15, allowing importation of 10,452,580 kilograms (48,008 bales) of upland cotton, the same as the previous quota period. The quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Oct. 12, 2021, and entered into the U.S. by Jan. 10, 2022. The quota is equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the February through April 2021 period, the most recent three months for which data is available.
The Agriculture Department is increasing the fiscal year 2021 tariff rate quota for specialty sugar by 40,000 metric tons raw value, it said in a notice released July 8. The increase brings the FY21 TRQ for refined sugar, originally set at 162,000 MTRV, to 202,000 MTRV, USDA said. Entry of this sugar will be permitted beginning July 21, USDA said. The increased amount is reserved only for specialty sugars, it said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation announced July 1 that Special Import Quota #11 for upland cotton will be established July 8, allowing importation of 10,452,580 kilograms (48,008 bales) of upland cotton, the same as the previous quota period. The quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Oct. 5, 2021, and entered into the U.S. by Jan. 3, 2022. The quota is equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the February through April 2021 period, the most recent three months for which data is available.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will not begin enforcing its sixth phase of enforcement of Lacey Act declaration requirements July 1, but the agency expects no further delays to implementation (see 2008190010), the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said in an emailed update June 28. APHIS will publish a Federal Register notice “any day” now announcing that enforcement will begin “on Aug. 1, or 30 days after the Federal Register notice is published,” the NCBFAA said, citing APHIS officials who spoke with an NCBFAA committee.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation announced June 24 that Special Import Quota #10 for upland cotton will be established July 1, allowing importation of 10,452,580 kilograms (48,008 bales) of upland cotton, the same as the previous quota period. The quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Sept. 28, 2021, and entered into the U.S. by Dec. 27, 2021. The quota is equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the February through April 2021 period, the most recent three months for which data is available.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is proposing to loosen requirements on importation of bovines and bovine products from Bolivia and the United Kingdom's zone of Jersey, it said in a notice released June 24. APHIS intends to reclassify them has having negligible risk, concurring with recommendations recently issued by the World Organization for Animal Health, the agency said. Comments are due Aug. 24.
An Agricultural Marketing Service final rule amending the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances in organic products to add newly allowed substances to the National List will now take effect July 26. The agency originally released the notice June 17 before withdrawing it, alongside all other notices scheduled for publication in the Federal Register, due to the Juneteenth holiday (see 2106180032). The final rule adds oxalic acid dihydrate as a pesticide for organic apiculture (beekeeping); pullulan for use in organic handling in products labeled, “Made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s)),” and collagen gel as a nonorganic nonagricultural substance for use as a casing in organic handling when organic forms of collagen gel are not commercially available.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation announced June 17 that Special Import Quota #9 for upland cotton will be established June 24, allowing importation of 10,452,580 kilograms (48,008 bales) of upland cotton, the same as the previous quota period. The quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Sept. 21, 2021, and entered into the U.S. by Dec. 20, 2021. The quota is equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the February through April 2021 period, the most recent three months for which data is available.
The Agricultural Marketing Service on June 17 released a final rule amending the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances in organic products. The final rule adds the following allowed substances to the National List: oxalic acid dihydrate as a pesticide for organic apiculture (beekeeping); pullulan for use in organic handling in products labeled, “Made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s)),” and collagen gel as a nonorganic nonagricultural substance for use as a casing in organic handling when organic forms of collagen gel are not commercially available. The changes take effect July 19.