France plans to eliminate glyphosate use by 2021 with “limited exceptions,” according to a May 2 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture' Foreign Agricultural Service. France Agriculture Minister Didier Guillaume, who made the announcement, also said the country hopes to slash “pesticide, insecticide and fungicide” in half by 2025, saying the country should “revert to the farming methods used by their grandparents,” according to the report. The announcement was met with negative reaction from French farmers and farm unions, who claimed that “style of farming” could reduce production by 30 percent to 40 percent below today's levels, USDA said. In April, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue called Vietnam's recent ban on the importation of glyphosate “devastating” and said it could cause significant ramifications for global agricultural production (see 1904120011).
Brazil recently added the capability for electronic phytosanitary certificates in its single window portal, the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply said in a press release. Implemented April 26, the new capability allows exporters to receive electronic certificates and complete the requirements of several agencies in one place, the release said. The new system includes a verification code and online query page that permits the information on the certificates to be seen by importers before the cargo arrives at its destination, it said. The data is recorded directly in the Brazilian single window, and analyzed by the Agricultural Surveillance System of the Ministry of Agriculture before the certificates are issued. The data is also visible to other agencies, such as Brazilian Customs, the release said.
Argentina is increasing its “statistical tax” on all imports for consumption and temporary imports, it said in a May 6 notice in the Argentine Official Bulletin. Effective May 7, the rate rose to 2.5 percent, up from 0.5 percent, the notice said. Similar to the U.S. Merchandise Processing Fee, the Argentina statistical tax, which is meant to cover the costs of administrative work around imports, is limited to maximum amounts based on the value of the imports. The May 6 notice sets those limits at $150 for imports up to $10,000; $2,500 for imports between $10,000 and $100,000; $25,000 for imports between $100,000 and $1,000,000; and $125,000 for all imports above $1,000,000.
Singapore announced a $109,000 fine on the former director of a freight forwarding company after he pleaded guilty to 26 charges of making false customs declarations, Singapore Customs announced in a May 9 notice. If Lim Boon Kheng, former director of Akarui Pte Ltd., is unable or unwilling to pay the fines, he faces nearly two years in prison, the notice said.
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry updated its “end-user list” to provide exporters information on “foreign entities” that may be involved in weapons proliferation. The update last month added five entities to the list “for which concern cannot be eliminated regarding involvement” in weapons of mass destruction, the ministry said in a notice. Exporters must submit applications for goods that may be used for the development of weapons of mass destruction “even if they are not subject to export restrictions under international agreements,” the notice said.
The U.S. trade war with China and the stalled revision of NAFTA have severely limited their export markets, filling their warehouses with unmovable products and slashing their revenues, farmers said during a House hearing on the state of the farm economy. The farmers called for a quick resolution of trade disputes with China and ratification of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, and suggested another market facilitation program similar to the relief package the Trump administration authorized in 2018 to aid farmers suffering from ongoing sparring over tariffs.
The U.S. seized a North Korean cargo ship for violating U.S. and international sanctions after it transported coal and “heavy machinery” and used U.S. banks for various transactions, the Department of Justice said in a May 9 press release.
President Donald Trump will appoint Dow CEO James Fitterling and Joseph Nicosia of Louis Dreyfus members of the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiation for four-year terms, the White House said.
In the May 8 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:
The Canada Border Services Agency replaced a notice issued in January on positioning empty containers, it said in Customs Notice 19-07. The replacement notice "is issued to amend the information on how shipping companies using foreign-flagged vessels to reposition empty containers (that they own or lease) in Canadian waters (on a non-revenue basis) are to be treated," the CBSA said.