The Agricultural Marketing Service is in the process of writing a final rule to require electronic filing of certificates for organic products at entry, among other provisions intended to strengthen organic enforcement, said Jennifer Tucker, AMS deputy administrator, at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America annual conference May 5.
The Agricultural Marketing Service has secured funding for its Section 8(e) partner government agency (PGA) message set for imports of specialty crops, and now awaits CBP programming before it can move forward with full implementation, said Brian Barber of Wilson International during a panel discussion at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America annual conference May 3.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is adding India to its list of regions subject to import restrictions on pork and pork products because it is affected by African swine fever, it said in a notice released March 24. Restrictions take effect retroactively to May 13, 2020.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will allow the importation of peppers from Colombia, it said in a notice. Conditions for importation include packing requirements, phytosanitary certificates from the Colombian government, registration of production locations, and port of entry inspections, among other things, the notice said. Peppers from Colombia may be authorized for importation upon publication of the notice in the Federal Register March 25.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced its Core PGA Message Set is now being fully enforced in ACE. “Users must submit message set data for regulated products like plants, plant products, animal products, and live dog imports or their entry will reject,” it said by email March 15. APHIS listed a “multitude” of resources that users may use as references: the APHIS ACE website, the APHIS Core Implementation Guide, the APHIS Supplemental Trade Guide, APHIS Core Message Set webinars, and its Harmonized Tariff Schedule flags. “Brokers, filers and importers may also contact the APHIS Core Message Set Help Desk at 1-833-481-2102, Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. to get assistance with their entry, or they can submit APHIS Core Message Set questions by e-mail to ace.itds@usda.gov,” APHIS said. The agency had been taking a soft enforcement approach since January (see 2101210035).
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is adding Timor-Leste to its list of regions subject to import restrictions on pork and pork products because it is affected by African swine fever, it said in a notice released March 12. Restrictions take effect retroactively to Sept. 30, 2019.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is proposing to allow imports of non-precleared sand pears from South Korea into all U.S. ports, it said in a notice released March 12. Currently, non-precleared sand pears from the country can be imported only into the Port of Honolulu, and only fruit imported under an APHIS preclearance program is allowed into all ports. The non-precleared sand pears would be subject to the import conditions of the “systems approach” currently required for precleared fruit. Comments are due May 14.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is reopening the period for comments on potential regulations it is considering on the movement, including importation, of animals modified or developed by genetic engineering, it said in a notice March 8. Jointly issued in December by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the Food Safety Inspection Service (see 2012230087), USDA's advance notice of proposed rulemaking contemplates that the APHIS would conduct assessments of genetically engineered animals, and FSIS would conduct pre-slaughter inspections. Importation and interstate movement would be subject to permitting requirements. USDA’s approach would be similar to recent regulations on the movement of genetically engineered plants (see 2005180023), with some differences, the ANPRM said. Comments are now due by May 7.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters: