The Animal and Plant Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a final rule, effective August 28, 2006, amending 7 CFR Part 319 to allow pink and red tomatoes grown in approved registered production sites in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama to be imported into the U.S. under certain conditions.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a proposed rule that would remove several restrictions regarding the identification of animals and the processing of ruminant materials from bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) minimal-risk regions, as well as BSE-based restrictions on gelatin derived from bovine hides. APHIS does not believe these restrictions are necessary to prevent the introduction of BSE into the U.S. Written comments are due by October 10, 2006.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a press release announcing that on August 23, 2006 the U.S. and the Philippines signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to Cooperate on Stopping Illegal Transshipments of Textiles and Apparel through the Philippines to the U.S. According to the press release, the MOU provides for customs cooperation, identification of the actual textile and apparel manufacturers, and joint verification visits to provide the U.S. and Philippine governments the information necessary to stop textile and apparel transshipments. (USTR press release, dated 08/23/06, available at http://www.ustr.gov/Document_Library/Press_Releases/2006/August/US_Trade_Representative_Susan_C_Schwab_Philippines_Secretary_of_Trade_Industry_Peter_B_Favila_Sign_Textile_MOU.html.)
The Summer 2006 issue of the NCBFAA Quarterly Bulletin contains an article that states that the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program is being referred to disparagingly as "a unilateral preference program" and "an obstacle" to real trade liberalization due to the unwillingness of certain GSP beneficiary countries' to step forward in the Doha trade talks. In addition, Congressional leaders with the power to decide its fate are threatening to let GSP expire indefinitely at the end of this year or tighten eligibility requirements, which would likely remove some countries from the program. (NCBFAA Quarterly Bulletin, No. 106-2, Summer 2006, www.ncbfaa.org.)
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a notice providing information on the services and procedures of APHIS's Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program concerning, among other things, PPQ's role in facilitating the export of plants and plant products from the U.S.
The U.S. Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel's (USA-ITA's) August 8, 2006 Customs Overview contains an article on boycotts which state that although the Arab League boycott of Israel is the principal boycott of interest, the anti-boycott laws apply to any boycott that is not sanctioned by the U.S. The article also states that emphasis on the anti-boycott laws has come up in the context of recent Commerce Department enforcement actions, noting that even if one does not comply with a boycott-related request, failure to report the request is a violation. (See today's ITT, 06082415, for BP summary of BIS' proposed antiboycott penalty guidelines.(USA-ITA Customs Overview, dated 08/08/06, www.usaita.com.)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site a fact sheet on avian influenza that covers, among other things, the guidelines for importing live birds and bird products into the U.S.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a notice reopening the comment period for its April 2006 proposed rule that would revise and reorganize the regulations pertaining to the importation of fruits and vegetables.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a press release announcing that the U.S. and Malaysia made solid progress in the second round of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations which were held during the week of July 17, 2006. According to the press release, the U.S. and Malaysia will meet again in September for another full round of negotiations. (USTR press release, dated 07/21/06, available at http://www.ustr.gov/Document_Library/Press_Releases/2006/July/US_Malaysia_Hold_Second_Round_of_FTA_Negotiations.html.)
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a final rule, effective August 18, 2006, which amends the gypsy moth regulations in 7 CFR Parts 301 and 319 by, among other things, adding conditions for the importation of certain bark and bark products from Canada, etc.