The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's new automated message process for plants, vegetables and fruit imports (see 230707001) will help importers know more quickly if they have submitted a species or subspecies that doesn't exist, and, if accurate data is submitted ahead of arrival, should help cargo get released more quickly.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is seeking comments on an information collection involving import regulations for bees and "related articles," the agency said in a notice. The regulations cover applications for a permit, packaging and labeling requirements, notices of arrival for shipments from approved regions, port of entry inspections, recordkeeping requirements and more. Comments are due Oct. 3.
USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation announced July 27 that Special Import Quota #15 for upland cotton will be established Aug. 3, allowing importation of 8,623,379 kilograms (39,606 bales) of upland cotton, the same as the previous quota period. The quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Oct. 31, 2023, and entered into the U.S. by Jan. 29, 2024. Special Import Quota #14 for upland cotton was announced July 20. Established July 27, the quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Oct. 24, 2023, and entered into the U.S. by Jan. 22, 2024. The allowed amount in the #14 quota is also 8,623,379 kilograms (39,606 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 February through April 2023 period, the most recent three months for which data is available.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is setting FY 2024 country allocations for imports under tariff-rate quotas for cane sugar and refined sugars. The FY 2024 import TRQ for raw cane sugar was established at 1,117,195 metric tons raw value (MTRV), the minimum amount to which the U.S. is committed under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Uruguay Round Agreements (see 2307050038). The USTR now allocates this TRQ among supplying countries and customs areas, as follows:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced that it is banning imports of parts of banana and plantain plants from Venezuela due to detection of the plant pest Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Tropical race 4. The prohibition, which takes effect July 19 and was announced in an amended Federal Order, does not apply to banana and plantain fruits, seeds, leaves, cut flowers or plants in tissue culture, APHIS said. Rather, the ban covers imports of Musa spp. and Ensete ventricosum plant parts including rooted plants, rooted and unrooted cuttings, roots, and rhizomes.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation announced July 13 that Special Import Quota #13 for upland cotton will be established July 20, allowing importation of 8,623,379 kilograms (39,606 bales) of upland cotton, the same as the previous quota period. The quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Oct. 17, 2023, and entered into the U.S. by Jan. 15, 2024. Special Import Quota #12 for upland cotton was announced July 6. Established July 13, the quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Oct. 10, 2023, and entered into the U.S. by Jan. 8, 2024. The allowed amount in the #12 quota is 8,623,379 kilograms (39,606 bales) of upland cotton, up from 8,079,827 kilograms (37,110 bales) under quota #11 (see 2306300072). The quotas are equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the February through April 2023 period, the most recent three months for which data is available.
USDA is increasing the FY 2023 tariff rate quota for raw cane sugar by 125,000 metric tons raw value, it said in a notice July 10. The increase brings the total FY23 TRQ, originally set at the 1,117,195 MTRV minimum mandated by the World Trade Organization, to 1,242,195 MTRV, USDA said. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will allocate the increase among supplying countries and customs areas. Raw cane sugar under this quota must be accompanied by a certificate for quota eligibility.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service plant inspection stations (PIS) will on Aug. 7 begin the use of entry status notifications to "communicate directly with filers," APHIS announced July 7. Filers no longer will receive an automated "may proceed" message, instead getting a message such as "Data Under Review," "Hold Intact" and "Data Rejected," APHIS said. Only after the inspection process is completed will filers receive a "May Proceed" message, APHIS said.
The Department of Agriculture announced the establishment of the tariff rate quotas for raw cane sugar and refined and specialty sugars (including syrups and molasses) for fiscal year 2024 (Oct. 1, 2023 - Sept. 30, 2024).
USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation announced June 29 that Special Import Quota #11 for upland cotton will be established July 6, allowing importation of 8,079,827 kilograms (37,110 bales ) of upland cotton. No quota was announced for the previous quote period. The quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Oct. 3, 2023, and entered into the U.S. by Jan. 1, 2024. 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 2023 period, the most recent three months for which data is available.