USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has amended restrictions for importing tomatoes and peppers to reflect recent study findings on how the tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) gets transported.
USDA has determined the total amounts of WTO tariff-rate quotas for raw cane sugar and certain sugars for FY 2025. The agency established that from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025, the in-quota aggregate quantity of raw cane sugar will be at 1,117,195 metric tons raw value (MTRV), while the FY 2025 in-quota aggregate quantity of certain molasses (or refined sugar) will be at 232,000 MTRV. USDA's notice will be effective on June 14, the date that it will be published in the Federal Register.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has determined that the regions of Tuscany and Umbria in Italy are free of swine vesicular disease (SVD), it said in a notice released June 11. APHIS came to this conclusion following a risk evaluation and a public review and comment period. A final environmental assessment is also available related to this proceeding. As a result of this action, live swine, pork, and pork products may safely be imported into the U.S. from the regions of Tuscany and Umbria, Italy, subject to conditions in the regulations. The government of Italy had asked APHIS to evaluate the SVD disease status of the two regions. The determination is effective July 12.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service recognized the U.K. and 21 EU member states as being free from the citrus longhorned beetle (CLB) and Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), according to a notice released June 11. As a result, APHIS is removing these countries from the list of countries where CLB and ALB are present. In addition to this change, the agency also said it is changing the entry conditions and relieving certain restrictions on imports of host plants of CLB and ALB into the U.S. from Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the U.K. The changes are effective June 12. Meanwhile, EU member states that continue to be listed as countries where ALB and/or CLB are present are: Austria, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany and Italy.
USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation announced May 30 that Special Import Quota #7 for upland cotton will be established June 6, allowing importation of 7,680,747 kilograms (35,277 bales) of upland cotton, the same as the previous quota period. The quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Sept. 3, 2024, and entered into the U.S. by Dec. 2, 2024. The quota is equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the January through March 2024 period, the most recent three months for which data is available.
USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation announced May 23 that Special Import Quota #6 for upland cotton will be established May 30, allowing importation of 7,680,747 kilograms (35,277 bales) of upland cotton, the same as the previous quota period. The quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Aug. 27, 2024, and entered into the U.S. by Nov. 25, 2024. Special Import Quota #5 for upland cotton was announced May 16. Established May 23, the quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Aug. 20, 2024, and entered into the U.S. by Nov. 18, 2024. The allowed amount in the #5 quota is also 7,680,747 kilograms (35,277 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 January through March 2024 period, the most recent three months for which data is available.
USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation announced May 9 that Special Import Quota #4 for upland cotton will be established May 16, allowing importation of 7,680,747 kilograms (35,277 bales) of upland cotton, the same as the previous quota period. The quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Aug. 13, 2024, and entered into the U.S. by Nov. 11, 2024. The quota is equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the January through March 2024 period, the most recent three months for which data is available.
USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will on May 20 "roll out" use of its APHIS Core Message Set for Certificates of Foreign Inspection and/or Treatment, or PPQ Form 203, for air shipments of precleared commodities from Chile, air shipments of precleared commodities from Thailand, and both air and maritime shipments of precleared commodities from Argentina, the agency said in a bulletin on May 6. This will create an electronic database -- for Certificates of Foreign Inspection and/or Treatment -- that can be "invoked" by filers and accessed by CBP agriculture inspectors through the Automated Commercial Environment Document Image System. "The process will function like current permitting and ePhyto capabilities in ACE," APHIS said.
USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation announced May 2 that Special Import Quota #3 for upland cotton will be established May 9, allowing importation of 7,680,747 kilograms (35,277 bales) of upland cotton, up from 6,902,347 kilograms (31,702 bales) in the previous quota period. The quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Aug. 6, 2024, and entered into the U.S. by Nov. 4, 2024. The quota is equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the January 2024 through March 2024 period, the most recent three months for which data is available.
The Agricultural Marketing Service set its 2024-2025 fees for voluntary grading, inspection, certification, auditing and laboratory services for meat and poultry, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, cotton and tobacco, in a notice released May 3. Covered programs include cotton classification under cotton futures legislation (7 CFR 27); cotton classing, testing and standards (7 CFR 28); grading and inspection for approved plants and standards for grades of dairy products (7 CFR 58); inspection, certification and standards for fresh fruits, vegetables and other products (7 CFR 51); processed fruits and vegetables (7 CFR 52); meats, prepared meats and meat products (7 CFR 54); livestock, meat and other agricultural commodities (7 CFR 62); agricultural and vegetable seeds (7 CFR 75); grading of shell eggs (7 CFR 56); grading of poultry and rabbit products (7 CFR 70); services and general information (7 CFR 91); and tobacco inspection (7 CFR 29). Effective dates of fee changes range from July 1 to Jan. 1, depending on the commodity.