International Trade Today is providing a list obtained from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of approved manufacturers of wooden handicrafts in China. Under regulations issued in 2012 by APHIS, wooden handcrafts from China made with twigs with bark of a diameter of over 1 centimeter or more are subject to treatment requirements (see 12030122). Fumigation by approved facilities may be used to satisfy the requirements if the twigs with bark have a diameter of less than 6 centimeters. "By the utilization of an approved facility, the U.S. importer is only responsible for obtaining an import permit and submitting a Lacey Act declaration to make entry,” an APHIS spokeswoman said. The list is current as of Feb. 28, 2017.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service recently updated its questions and answers document on new Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection (AQI) fees for treatment services (here). APHIS has set a new $237 fee for fumigation and cold treatment services monitored by the agency, set to be phased in over a period of five years (see 1510260080). The first stage, a fee of $47 for treatment services, took effect on Dec. 28, 2015, increased to $95 in December 2016, and will rise to $142 in December 2017.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is delaying the effective date of its recent final rule amending the regulations related to the Select Agents and Toxins List, it said (here). The January final rule added regulatory provisions to address the inactivation of select agents, address biocontainment and biosafety, and clarify regulatory language concerning security, training, incident response and records (see 1701180084). Originally set to take effect Feb. 21, the changes will now be effective March 21. The delay is meant to comply with a presidential memorandum issued when President Donald Trump took office (see 1701230031).
Several agencies have said they are at least willing to consider accepting partner government agency (PGA) data at the time of admission of goods into a foreign-trade zone, said leadership from the National Association of Foreign-Trade Zones at the NAFTZ Legislative Summit on Feb. 15 in Washington. Once CBP implements its Form 214 application for FTZ admission form in ACE, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration could use the new capability to accept data before entry, they said.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is allowing more time for comments on its proposed overhaul of its regulations on importation and interstate movements of plant pests, it said (here). The agency’s proposed rule, issued Jan. 19 (see 1701180029), would codify and clarify existing permitting procedures, and create new lists of exempt plant pests and biological control organisms that APHIS determines present no risk to plants and plant products. The proposal would also set new packaging requirements for plant pests, biological control agents and soil, and revise APHIS’s regulations on importation of soil, stone and quarry products. Comments on the proposal are now due April 19.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes Feb. 8 to Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals. While some changes are minor, other changes may affect the admissibility of the plant products, including fruits, vegetables and flowers.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is extending the period for comments on changes to its regulations on importation, interstate movement and release of genetically engineered (GE) organisms, it said (here). The proposed rule, issued in January (see 1701180058), would modify current definitions of what is a GE organism, as well as the criteria used by APHIS to judge whether it regulates GE organisms based on the risk of introduction of plant pests or noxious weeds. Time-limited import permits would be eliminated, as would current notification procedures. Record-keeping requirements would be increased. Comments on the proposal are now due June 19.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is again extending the comment period, now until March 20, on a proposed rule to allow imports of Hass avocados from Colombia into the continental U.S., it said (here). Under the proposed rule, issued in October (see 1610260019), APHIS would set conditions on importation including monitoring of places of production and packinghouses; pest-free places of production; grove sanitation, monitoring and pest control practices; lot identification; and inspection for quarantine pests in Colombia. Hass avocados from Colombia would also have to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate from the Colombian government. APHIS already extended the comment period once in January (see 1701130031).
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes Feb. 1 to Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals. While some changes are minor, other changes may affect the admissibility of the plant products, including fruits, vegetables and flowers.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes Jan. 24 to Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals. While some changes are minor, other changes may affect the admissibility of the plant products, including fruits, vegetables and flowers.