An executive for a waste recycling company was sentenced to three years in prison after he illegally resold dangerous electronic hazardous waste to companies that then exported it overseas, according to an April 12 notice from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Japan’s Ministry of Finance announced tariff rate quotas for certain dairy imports for the Japanese fiscal year that runs from April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020, according to an April 10 notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service. The TRQs cover “natural cheese for processing, skimmed milk powder, evaporated milk, butter and butteroil, and certain whey products, ” the notice said. Among several changes are those affecting imports of natural cheese used in processed cheese: Each Japanese importer is permitted to import natural cheese tariff-free up to 2.5 times “the volume of domestic cheese it uses for the production of processed cheese,” the notice said.

The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls has deactivated International Traffic in Arms Regulations "exemption code 22 CFR 126.5C," CBP said in an April 16 message. That section of the federal code only says "reserved." The exemption code "will not be accepted in Electronic Export Information" submissions effective immediately, CBP said. "Appendix O of the Automated Export System Trade Interface Requirement" will also be updated to remove the code, it said.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control published a technical notice for OFAC’s “sanctions lists data files,” according to an April 16 notice. On May 16, OFAC will be expanding the “program” field “found in OFAC’s legacy data files (DEL, PIP, FF and CSV) from 50 to 200 characters," the notice said. Questions should be directed to O_F_A_C@treasury.gov or the tech support hotline at 1-800-540-6322.

Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for April 8-12 in case they were missed.

Canada will keep in place the safeguard tariffs on five categories of steel until April 28 despite a Canadian International Trade Tribunal ruling that didn't recommend safeguard tariffs on those goods (see 1904040051), the Canada Border Services Agency said in a notice. "In accordance with Canadian law, where the CITT does not recommend final safeguards, provisional safeguards remain in effect for 200 days from when the Order imposing provisional safeguards was made," CBSA said. "The CITT has not recommended final safeguards on imports of concrete reinforcing bar, energy tubular products, hot-rolled sheet, pre-painted steel and wire rod; as such, provisional safeguards on these goods will remain in effect up to and including April 28, 2019."

The European Union has assembled a list of approximately $20 billion worth of imports from the U.S. that could face higher tariffs if a World Trade Organization arbitrator rules that the EU is entitled to that much compensation due to trade-distorting subsidies for Boeing's aircraft manufacturing.

SAN ANTONIO -- Non-vessel operators (NVOs) should be working with their customers to minimize any surprises coming from the implementation of revised International Maritime Organization sulfur emissions standards in 2020, said transportation industry experts during a panel discussion at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America's annual conference on April 16.

The U.S.-Egypt Trade and Investment Council discussed the need for Egyptian labor reforms, and the U.S.'s desire that Egypt improve intellectual property protection, implement the World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement and that Egypt strengthen its border enforcement. The readout of the meeting, provided by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative late April 12, said the two countries are looking to promote greater reciprocal market access for agricultural and industrial goods. "In this vein, the United States and Egypt are collaborating on the development of scientific, risk-based food safety practices consistent with international guidelines of the Codex Alimentarius Commission," USTR said. The U.S. praised Egypt for relaxing domestic ownership requirements for express shipping companies and Egypt's decision to accept U.S. motor vehicle safety standards. Between the Generalized System of Preferences and Qualifying Industrial Zones programs, about $1 billion of Egyptian exports to the U.S. enter duty free, USTR said.

The European Union is imposing new antidumping duties on imports of urea and ammonium nitrate from the U.S., Russia, and Trinidad and Tobago, it said in a notice of its preliminary determination in the April 11 EU Official Journal. A provisional antidumping duty rate of 22.6% is now required on imports of the product by CF Industries Holdings, the sole U.S. exporter being investigated, as well as on urea and ammonium sulfate exported from the U.S. by all other companies. The new cash deposit rate takes effect April 11, though the EU may apply it retroactively as of March 22 (see 1903210046). That decision will be made at the final stage of the investigation.