The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of April 20 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):

The Eurasian Economic Commission recently introduced a temporary exemption from import duties for certain “critical food products,” according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service report issued April 17. The exemption applies to a range of food imports, including potatoes, onions, garlic, cabbage, rice, rye and buckwheat, the report said. The measure took effect April 18 and retroactively applies to products imported as of April 1. The measure is set to expire June 30.

Japan will temporarily suspend “strict monitoring” of “non-critical” food labeling due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on Japanese supply chains, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service report released April 17. The measure aims to ensure Japanese consumers have a “sufficient supply” of food products, the USDA said. Food labeling requirements usually include a list of ingredients, country of origin and nutrition information.

German demand for a range of U.S. seafood exports continues to rise and is expected to provide increased opportunities for exports of U.S. fish, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service report released April 17. The USDA said Germany is “especially dependent” on imports of Alaska pollock and there are “good prospects” for salmon, cod, scallops and dogfish. The report also includes current German import requirements for U.S. seafood exporters. The USDA said German demand is expected to continue to rise after an increase of nearly 20% in imports of U.S. fish in 2019.

The State Department Directorate of Defense Trade Controls has seen a decline in voluntary self-disclosures since 2013, according to an April 20 post on the EU Sanctions blog, which cited a report by the Global Investigations Review. DDTC processed just over 2,000 disclosures in 2013 but only 650 in 2019, the blog said. Since 2014, the number of self-disclosures fell by about 140 disclosures per year, the blog post said, but has remained “consistent” over the last two years. The decrease stems from the removal of certain dual-use items from the U.S. Munitions List to the Commerce Control List, the blog said.

Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., urged the Trump administration to sanction Chinese officials responsible for committing human rights violations in Hong Kong. The U.S. must use “all diplomatic tools available to prevent Hong Kong’s backsliding on democracy,” Gardner said April 18, including sanctions. Gardner’s comments came after Chinese officials arrested pro-democracy leaders in Hong Kong, according to an April 18 Reuters report.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said he plans to introduce a bill that would sanction Chinese officials involved in the “suppression” of medical experts, journalists and others, which is “helping to fuel” the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an April 14 press release. The bill would sanction officials who tried to censor Chinese people from sharing information about the virus and who tried to limit access to media, Cruz said. That censorship posed a threat to the U.S. and countries around the world trying to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Cruz said he will introduce the bill when Congress returns.

Although the hearing scheduled for input on a Kenya Free Trade deal was canceled, comments continue to come in for what the U.S. trade representative's priorities should be.

The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation issued a correction for four listings in its ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida sanctions regime, OFSI said in an April 21 notice. The correction removes the following names from the consolidated list and the asset freezes for them: Amran Mansor, Abderrahmane Kifane, Son Hadi bin Muhadjir and Abdul Rahim Al-Talhi, the notice said.

Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for April 13-17 in case you missed them.