The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Serviced has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget for its approval, a proposed rule entitled: "Forfeiture Procedures Under the Endangered Species Act and the Lacey Act Amendments."
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued emails announcing the following changes to various Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals through March 2, 2012 (since the last ITT update for February 22-23, 2012):
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued a February 16, 2012 version of its Lacey Act Amendments frequently asked questions (FAQ) document, as the prior version was out of date, had broken links, and had imprecise text. Sources state that APHIS has refined the Importer of Record - Broker Responsibility Q&A to indicate that brokers who complete the paper Lacey Act declaration for imported plants and plant products have the same responsibility for accuracy as they do when filling out entry information. In addition, two Q&As on hand-carried passenger baggage and musical instruments have been added.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued a final rule, effective May 1, 2012, to allow for the resumption of wooden handicrafts imports from China, provided that they are treated, documented, and their shipping packages are labeled with a merchandise tag containing the identity of the product manufacturer, and other conditions.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued emails announcing the following changes to various Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals through February 23, 2012 (since the last ITT update for February 13-16, 2012):
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a proposed rule to amend 19 CFR to transform the in-bond process from a paper dependent entry process to an automated paperless process in ACE. It would also require additional information to be reported on the in-bond application, establish a 30-day transit time for all modes except pipelines, and require electronic permission from CBP for in-bond cargo diversion, among other changes. Comments on the proposed rule are due by April 23, 2012.
The Animal Plant Health Inspection Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will be conducting the 2012 Agriculture Stakeholder Conference, entitled "Pests, Pathways, and Partnerships," on July 17-18, 2012 in Riverdale, Maryland. The purpose of the two day conference is to discuss the future of Agricultural Quarantine Inspection (AQI) initiatives and to garner input on how CBP and APHIS can better serve stakeholder needs. Proposed agenda items include: (i) future AQI outreach initiatives; (ii) leveraging resources to protect U.S. agriculture and natural resources; (iii) how to increase efficiency at the border; and (iv) an update on a new AQI fee structure. Conference announcements, including registration information, will be sent out through the Stakeholder Registry in mid- April, 2012. Email documents@brokerpower.com for a copy of the Stakeholder Registry notice announcing this conference.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes to its Phytosanitary Certificate and Issuance Tracking (PCIT) system. PCIT will begin automatically transferring phytosanitary certificates to foreign countries receiving U.S. exports, reducing previous delays associated with paperwork verification. In addition, APHIS is expanding the availability of user-printed phytosanitary certificates, eliminating the need for users to pay for shipped documents.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a proposed rule to amend 19 CFR to transform the in-bond process from a paper dependent entry process to an automated paperless process in ACE. It would also require additional information to be reported on the in-bond application, establish a 30-day transit time for all modes except pipelines, and require electronic permission from CBP for in-bond cargo diversion, among other changes. Comments on the proposed rule are due by April 23, 2012.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued emails announcing the following changes to various Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals through February 16, 2012 (since the last ITT update for February 8-10, 2012):