Agriculture Thomas Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai on Aug. 24 announced 130 new industry officials to sit on seven agricultural trade advisory committees, including bodies that advise the government on trade policies for animal products, fruits and vegetables, grains, cotton, nuts and more. The new members, who join 70 committee members whose terms haven’t yet expired, will serve until August 2027. The new members represent a range of trade groups and companies.
USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation announced Aug. 24 that Special Import Quota #19 for upland cotton will be established Aug. 31, allowing importation of 12,641,719 kilograms (58,062 bales) of upland cotton. The quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Nov. 28, 2023, and entered into the U.S. by Feb. 26, 2024. Special Import Quota #18 for upland cotton was announced Aug. 17. Established Aug. 24, the quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Nov. 21, 2023, and entered into the U.S. by Feb. 19, 2024. The allowed amount in the #18 quota is also 12,641,719 kilograms (58,062 bales) of upland cotton. The quotas are equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the April through June 2023 period, the most recent three months for which data is available.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is restricting imports from Belarus of poultry, commercial birds, ratites, avian hatching eggs, unprocessed avian products and byproducts, as well as “certain fresh poultry products,” as a result of the detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the country. Effective Aug. 14, imports of processed avian products and byproducts from or transiting Belarus, imported as cargo, will require an APHIS permit or government certification of treatment. Imports of fresh, unprocessed eggs and egg products are prohibited unless they are consigned from the port of arrival directly to an APHIS-approved breaking and pasteurization facility, APHIS said. Unprocessed avian products and byproducts originating from or transiting Belarus won't be permitted to enter the U.S., APHIS said.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service intends to recognize the Tuscany and Umbria regions of Italy as free of swine vesicular disease, it said in a notice released Aug. 22. If these determinations are finalized, APHIS may loosen restrictions on the importation of pork and pork products from Tuscany and Umbria. Comments are due by Oct. 23.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service intends to allow imports of fresh table beet root from the U.K., it said in a notice released Aug. 22. An agency pest risk analysis found “the application of one or more designated phytosanitary measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks of introducing or disseminating plant pests or noxious weeds,” APHIS said. If APHIS finalizes the decision, it will allow imports into the continental U.S., Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, subject to the phytosanitary requirements specified by the agency. Comments will be accepted through Oct. 23.
The Agricultural Marketing Service is amending the Cotton Board Rules and Regulations to increase the value assigned to imported cotton for the purposes of calculating supplemental assessments on imports collected under the Cotton Research and Promotion Program, it said in a direct final rule Aug. 15. The revised value is 1.4691 cent per kilogram, an increase of .1476 cent per kilogram. The increase reflects a rise in the average price of upland cotton received by U.S. farmers during the period January through December 2022. AMS's notice also includes a table of adjusted assessments corresponding to each Harmonized Tariff Schedule subheading for which they are due. The changes take effect Oct. 16, unless significant adverse comments are received by Sept. 14.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced it will hold a series of webinars in September to discuss recently proposed large increases to agriculture quarantine and inspection (AQI) fees (see 2308100026). Four webinars on Sept. 12 and 13 will address the proposed changes to fees for commercial air, truck, ocean and rail cargo. All will be recorded for those who can’t attend the live session, APHIS said.
USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation announced Aug. 10 that Special Import Quota #17 for upland cotton will be established Aug. 17, allowing importation of 12,641,719 kilograms (58,062 bales) of upland cotton. The quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Nov. 14, 2023, and entered into the U.S. by Feb. 12, 2024. Special Import Quota #16 for upland cotton was announced Aug. 3. Established Aug. 10, the quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Nov. 7, 2023, and entered into the U.S. by Feb. 5, 2024. The allowed amount in the #14 quota is also 12,641,719 kilograms (58,062 bales) of upland cotton. The quotas are equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the April through June 2023 period, the most recent three months for which data is available.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is seeking public comments on an information collection involving import restrictions for animals that could introduce bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) into the U.S. APHIS said it’s looking to renew the information collection, which outlines restrictions on imports of certain animals, birds, poultry, meat and other animal products and byproducts to “prevent the introduction of various animal diseases,” including BSE, a chronic degenerative disease that affects the central nervous system of cattle. The agency’s regulations place “specific conditions” on these imports, including various certifications, import certificates, permits, recordkeeping requirements and more. Comments are due Oct. 10.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service this week proposed updates and amendments to its user fee regulations under its agricultural quarantine and inspection (AQI) program. The agency is proposing increases to its fees for certain AQI services provided in connection with certain cargo and commercial vessels, railroad cars, trucks and aircraft arriving at U.S. ports. It would also adjust the caps on prepaid fees associated with commercial trucks and railroad cars, remove certain fee exemptions “that are no longer justifiable based upon pathway analyses of risk” and restructure the treatment monitoring fee, among other fee changes. Comments are due Oct. 10.