The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will allow imports of fresh Hass avocado fruit from Guatemala, it said in a notice released Nov. 7. An agency pest risk analysis found “the application of one or more designated phytosanitary measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks of introducing or disseminating plant pests or noxious weeds” with the importation of Guatemalan avocados, APHIS said. APHIS will begin authorizing imports of avocadoes from Guatemala Nov. 8.
Automakers, chipmakers and broad business groups asked the Bureau of Industry and Security to give their industries more time to adjust to new requirements to move supply chains out of China and report on what companies are in their connected vehicle supply chains.
USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is allowing, effective Oct. 29, fresh soursop fruit from Mexico, it said in a notice. Soursop fruit (Annona muricata) is also known as guanabana. "Based on findings of a pest risk analysis, which we made available to the public for review and comment through a previous notice, we have determined that the application of one or more designated phytosanitary measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks of introducing or disseminating plant pests or noxious weeds via the importation of fresh soursop fruit from Mexico," APHIS said.
The Commerce Department has the authority to countervail currency undervaluation, the Court of International Trade held in a decision made public Oct. 25. Judge Timothy Reif found that nothing in the text of the countervailing duty statute, the statute's legislative history or legislative or administrative developments prohibit Commerce from imposing CVD due to a country's undervalued currency.
The Court of International Trade in a decision made public Oct. 23 sustained the Commerce Department's rejection of eight Section 232 steel tariff exclusion requests from importer Seneca Foods Corp. on its tin mill product entries. Judge Gary Katzmann said the rejections were backed by substantial evidence and in line with agency practice.
CBP's Machinery Center of Excellence and Expertise conducted targeting efforts resulting in the seizure of infant products valued at just over $61,000 that contained high lead paint content and choking hazards, the agency announced Oct. 23. In July, the center targeted a shipment with cargo descriptions of luggage carts, metal furniture mountings and “other” seats headed for Memphis. Upon inspecting the shipment, import specialists and Port of Memphis CBP officers found the items were strollers, swings and highchairs for infants.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Oct. 23 ruled that steel tubing with insulating material imported by Shamrock Building Materials is classifiable as steel tubes of heading 7306, rather than insulated conduit of heading 8547, subjecting the steel tubing to 25% Section 232 tariffs.
SAN DIEGO -- The FDA is ramping up scrutiny on food importers that aren't fully complying with Foreign Supplier Verification Program requirements, said Dan Solis, assistant commissioner for import operations with the agency's Office of Regulatory Affairs.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Oct. 8 said the Court of International Trade improperly rejected the Commerce Department's inclusion of door thresholds imported by Worldwide Door Components and Columbia Aluminum Products in the antidumping and countervailing duty orders on aluminum extrusions from China. Judges Sharon Prost, Richard Linn and Todd Hughes said Commerce adequately explained on remand that the door thresholds are subassemblies and thus not qualified for the finished merchandise exception.
The Court of International Trade on Oct. 7 sent a customs classification dispute on truck steps to a bench trial after finding that the undisputed facts are insufficient for conducting a principal use analysis on whether the products are "side protective attachments." Judge Jennifer Choe-Groves held that while a Section 301 exclusion for "side protective attachments" is a principal use provision, and not a provision for an individual product, the court can't at this time properly assess the imports at issue under a principal use framework.