On Sept. 6 the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:

The Department of Agriculture announced the establishment of the raw and refined and specialty sugar import tariff rate quotas for fiscal year 2013 (Oct. 1, 2012 -- Sept. 30, 2013).

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued emails Sept. 6 announcing changes to Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals. While some changes are minor, other changes may affect the admissibility of the plant products, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service revised export requirements and plant lists for the following countries for Aug. 31 - Sept. 6.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) should conduct an "immediate review" of the Australian Export Meat Inspection System (AEMIS), said Food and Water Watch, a food safety consumer advocacy group, in a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. The review is necessary after two Australian meat companies using the system were recently delisted by the Food Safety and Inspection Service as being eligible to export their products into the U.S. as a result of food safety violations, the group said. Lobethal Australian and GBP Australia were delisted this summer (here). USDA should no longer treat the AEMIS as an equivalent inspection system and should stop consideration of a privatized inspection model in the U.S., said the group.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued emails Sept. 5 announcing changes to some Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals. While some changes are minor, other changes may affect the admissibility of the plant products, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

On Sept. 5 the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:

The Food Safety and Inspection Service announced a public meeting from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 6 in College Park, Md., to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft U.S. positions that will be discussed at the 32nd session of the Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products (CCFFP), which will be held in Bali, Indonesia from October 1-5, 2012. The meeting is cosponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Food and Drug Administration. Those wishing to participate by conference call should call (866) 565-0671, participant code 5968327.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued emails Sept. 4 announcing changes to some Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals. While some changes are minor, other changes may affect the admissibility of the plant products, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

More stringent requirements for organic food imports into China went into effect July 1, according to a Foreign Agricultural Service Global Agricultural Information Network report. The new Chinese organic law forbids any organic products to be marketed as organic without the Chinese organic label. The standards are more stringent on the production environment, food safety, pesticide residue, and overall quality controls, FAS said. Additionally, detailed input and product lists were also recently implemented.