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The Agricultural Marketing Service needs to implement “controls at U.S. ports of entry” to ensure organic certification requirements for agricultural products are enforced at the border, the Agriculture Department’s Office of the Inspector General said in a report. The current lack of enforcement “increases the risk that non-organic products may be imported as organic into the United States and could create an unfair economic environment for U.S. organic producers,” the report said. As part of its response, AMS agreed to submit a request to CBP for new ACE requirements for organic products by July 2018.

Dismantling foreign sanitary and phytosanitary trade barriers would be Ted McKinney’s top priority if confirmed as under secretary of agriculture for trade and foreign agricultural affairs, the nominee told the Senate Agriculture Committee during his Sept. 19 confirmation hearing. “We try very hard in the U.S. to subscribe to the [World Trade Organization] standards or any other standards that have been agreed to, and the reverse is not true,” McKinney said. “And I think it’s time to call that out and address it for what it is, and be firm about that.” If confirmed, McKinney would work with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the State Department, and Commerce Department to address SPS double standards of several U.S. trading partners, he said in written testimony to the committee.

The House on Sept. 14 passed an appropriations package that would fund several agencies with trade functions in fiscal year 2018, adopting an amendment that would prohibit funds being used to “implement, administer, or enforce” the Securities and Exchange Commission’s conflict minerals reporting rule. Introduced by Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., the amendment would block funds from being used for reporting requirement for conflict minerals originating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or adjoining countries, among other things. SEC has said it doesn’t plan to recommend action to enforce its regulation that firms must provide a statement identifying items that are not conflict minerals-free, though current SEC rules also direct companies to provide information related to country of origin for such products (see 1704100023).

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will allow imports of orchids from South Korea of the genera phalaenopsis and cymbidium, as long as they are imported in an approved growing medium, it said in a final rule. Imported Korean orchids would also be subject to growing, inspection and certification requirements. The final rule takes effect Oct. 16.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will allow importation of fresh persimmons with calyxes from Japan into the U.S., it said in a final rule. Conditions of entry will include orchard certification, pest control and post-harvest safeguards, as well as fruit culling, traceback and sampling. APHIS is also requiring a phytosanitary certificate from the Japanese government declaring the persimmons were inspected and found free of pests. The final rule takes effect Oct. 12.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will allow importation of bone-in ovine meat from Uruguay, subject to certain conditions, it said in a final rule. Uruguay had requested the exemption from deboning requirements specifically so it could export rack of lamb to the U.S., APHIS said. The final rule takes effect Oct. 12.

There is significant room for growth in the U.S.-Argentina trade relationship, particularly in agriculture, Vice President Mike Pence said Aug. 15 during a joint press conference in Buenos Aires with Argentina's President Mauricio Macri. Macri, President Donald Trump and other officials have spoken in the last week about expanding U.S. pork access in Argentina, Pence said. Macri and Pence also discussed lemon imports from Argentina and “the interest” in importing beef from and exporting beef to the country, Pence said. An Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service final rule allowing importation of lemons from northwest Argentina into the continental U.S. took effect May 26 (see 1705020038). “Our hope is that, with the energy that our administration and that President Macri’s administration are placing behind this, we may have a breakthrough soon that will expand the economic relationship between Argentina and the United States, particularly on agricultural goods,” Pence said.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will allow imports of Hass avocados from Colombia, it said in a final rule. Conditions for importation include orchard and packinghouse requirements and port of entry inspection, as well as a phytosanitary certificate issued by the government of Colombia. The final rule takes effect Sept. 14.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is adding Malta to its list of regions that are free of foot-and-mouth disease, rinderpest, African swine fever and swine vesicular disease, and its list of regions considered free of or at low risk for classical swine fever, it said in a notice. The determination, which takes effect Sept. 11, loosens restrictions on importation of swine, pork and pork products from Malta.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service loosened restrictions on importation of live bovines and bovine products from several countries, it said. The agency said it concurs with the Organization for Animal Health’s decision to classify Costa Rica, Germany, Lithuania, Mexico, Namibia, Romania and Spain as having negligible risk for bovine spongiform encephalopathy. The determination was made Aug. 2.