Thailand announced a 90-day ban on pig imports from Laos after Laos confirmed it is dealing with an outbreak of African swine fever, according to a June 22 report by Reuters, which cited an official Thailand government agency notice from June 21. The ban covers live pigs and pig carcasses, and follows a recent decision by China to also ban pigs from Laos, Reuters reported.
Bangladesh will soon require submission of the Import General Manifest (IGM) before a Bangladesh-bound vessel’s “departure from last port of call,” according to a June 24 alert from Hapag-Lloyd. If the documentation is not complete, containers cannot be loaded on the vessel, the alert said. "It will be mandatory to complete the documentation process incorporating mandatory elements prior submission of IGM. For incomplete documentation, container(s) cannot be loaded on Bangladesh bound vessel departing from last port of call," Hapag-Lloyd said. "Hapag-Lloyd will file IGM 48 hours prior vessel departure from last port of call and forwarders should file 24 hours prior if House BL is relevant." The change, announced by Bangladesh in an April 3 circular, will take effect July 1.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is creating a new exemption for green sea urchins of the species Strongylocentrotus droebachiensi from export licensing requirements, it said in a final rule. The new exemption applies to green sea urchins harvested in U.S. waters or imported for processing under a valid import license, FWS said. It is not available to violators of federal wildlife laws within the last five years, nor will it apply in states that have not submitted information related to conservation and management or that fail to prove they’re engaged in conservation and management, FWS said. The final rule takes effect June 25.
European Union entities are struggling with compliance ambiguity resulting from the U.S.’s reimposition of Iranian sanctions that conflict with EU laws, according to a June 21 report by the Financial Markets Law Committee, a United Kingdom-based legal association.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is seeking public input on proposed changes to labeling requirements in the Food and Drug Regulations (FDR) and the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR), the agency said in notices in the Canadian Gazette, Part I. Among other things, the SFCR proposal would "provide consumers with clearer information to guide their purchasing decisions, including expanding the scope of foods with a declaration of the foreign state from where the imported food comes from, what the food contains, and for how long the food would be of optimum quality," the agency said. Canada plans to implement the labeling changes through a "phased-in transition," a CFIA news release said.
President Donald Trump and the Department of the Treasury announced new Iran sanctions that target the country’s supreme leader and eight senior military officials, the White House said June 24.
The title of the panel discussion was "21st Century Management at our Ports of Entry," but panelists acknowledged that there are many ways the border operates that aren't modern at all.
The World Customs Organization issued the following release on commercial trade and related matters:
In the June 21 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:
The European Union is setting exceptions to upcoming prior notification requirements for imports of plants, animals and animal products, it said in a notice published June 21. Under regulations set to take effect in December, the operator responsible for consignments entering the EU from non-EU member states must give prior notification to EU customs authorities at least one working day before arrival. The new notice provides that, if compliance with the one-day prior notification requirement is not possible due to transport-related logistical restraints, the relevant member state may allow prior notification at least four hours prior to arrival of the shipment, the notice said. On the other hand, for imports of unprocessed logs and sawn and chipped wood, the relevant member state may require prior notification of up to five days in advance of arrival, to allow for arrival of a mobile border controls team. The exceptions take effect Dec. 14, 2019, when the general one-day prior notification requirement also takes effect.