According to Shippers' NewsWire, despite recent positive developments, the scope of U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP's) e-Manifest pilot is very limited so far, as there are only four carriers certified to transmit data since the pilot program began December 11, 2005. (Shippers' NewsWire dated 03/17/05, www.americanshipper.com.)
The Washington File reports that the chief U.S. negotiator in the free trade agreement (FTA) talks with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman says the first round of bargaining with each country has gone smoothly and she expects that agreements with both countries will be concluded and signed by the end of 2005. (Washington File Pub 03/14/05, available at http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2005&m=March&x=20050314185740cpataruk0.1947443&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html)
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a fact sheet on its suspension of importation of craft items from China that contain wooden logs, limbs, branches, or twigs greater than 1 centimeter in diameter with intact bark arriving in the U.S. after April 1, 2005.
The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a memo to importers, brokers, and other interested parties regarding the delay in its implementation of a final rule on bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) minimal risk regions and the importation of live ruminants and commodities from Canada.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the Senate passed S.J. Res 4 on March 3, 2005, a resolution to reject the Department of Agriculture (USDA) decision to lift the existing ban on imports of certain Canadian beef, and cattle less than 30 months of age. The vote came one day after a federal judge granted a temporary injunction sought by Western ranchers seeking to keep the ban in place. (WSJ 03/04/05, www.wsj.com; text of S.J. Res 4 available at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=109_cong_bills&docid=f:sj4es.txt.pdf)
According to Shippers' NewsWire, Senator Hutchinson introduced a bill (S. 376) on February 15, 2005, which calls for at least 50% of containers, beginning in 2007, to be equipped with tracking and monitoring technology that can notify authorities that the container has been breeched by terrorists or criminals. The article notes that Hutchinson's bill also calls for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to report on how requiring advance submission of purchase orders, shipper's letter of instruction, commercial invoices, letters of credit, certificates of origin, and other transaction information can enhance U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP's) container inspection targeting system. After being introduced, S. 376 was referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (SNW dated 03/03/05, www.americanshipper.com.)
According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) press release and USDA sources, on March 2, 2005, the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana issued a temporary injunction preventing APHIS from implementing its final rule on bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) minimal risk regions, which had been scheduled to take effect on March 7, 2005.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued an update that continues to state effective March 1, 2005, the European Union (EU) is requiring all newly assembled, repaired or recycled unprocessed raw wood packaging materials (hardwood and softwood), including dunnage, entering the EU to be either heat treated or fumigated and officially marked under ISPM 15.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a notice announcing that, beginning April 1, 2005, it will suspend the importation of craft items from China that contain wooden logs, limbs, branches or twigs greater than 1 centimeter in diameter and have intact bark.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a final rule, effective March 21, 2005, which amends 7 CFR Part 319 regarding the importation of wheat from regions affected with Karnal bunt.