The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued a list (here) of ongoing international sanitary and phytosanitary standard-setting activities of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), and the North American Plant Protection Organization (NAPPO). Comments on the standards being considered may be submitted at any time, APHIS said.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes Nov. 16 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.
Foreign-Trade Zone operators could face problems as a result of CBP's proposed regulatory changes to allow for an electronic alternative to the Notice of Arrival that's required for some imports of pesticides and devices regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (see 1609290029), the National Association of Foreign-Trade Zones said in comments to CBP (here). The problem is that FTZ entries are usually either Type 06 individual (or regular) or Type 06 weekly estimated entry types, it said. "It appears EPA may intend to require [Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)] NOA information at the time of cargo release in ACE – i.e., on entry," the NAFTZ said. "This point of transmission is too late in the importation process for FTZ filers."
PROVIDENCE -- The addition of more Partner Government Agencies (PGAs) to ACE in coming months is likely to drive a difficult expansion in the data collected by the government, said Amy Magnus, director of customs affairs and compliance at A.N. Deringer, while speaking at the Northeast Cargo Symposium on Nov. 10. Despite significant progress in ACE in 2016, the new PGAs are bound to be a source of anxiety as 2017 approaches, she said. The "most chilling" agencies to be added are Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service "Core" and the Fish and Wildlife Service, she said.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes Nov. 4 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 issued a correction (here) to its recently amended regulations on the packaging and labeling of veterinary biological products. The agency's Aug. 30 final rule, which changed format and content requirements for veterinary biologics labels (see 1608300041), "inadvertently removed a requirement for an indications statement that should appear on final container labels, carton labels, and enclosures," APHIS said. APHIS is now adding the requirement back into the regulations, it said.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes Oct. 28 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 will, effective Nov. 1, allow incineration as a secure disposal option for non-compliant dunnage from maritime cargo at U.S. ports of entry if there is access to an APHIS-approved incineration facility, it said (here). The policy change will allow CBP to “more effectively address potential pest risks presented by the dunnage,” APHIS said. Previously, incineration or waste facilities were required to have a compliance agreement with APHIS to destroy and dispose of non-compliant dunnage, it said. “Transportation companies, shipping lines, and port authorities must have a compliance agreement with CBP to safeguard, manipulate, or transport non-compliant dunnage. To request a compliance agreement, contact your local APHIS or CBP office,” APHIS said.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is proposing to allow importation from Taiwan of orchids of the genus Dendrobium in approved growing media, subject to certain growing, inspection and certification requirements, it said (here), Currently, Dendrobium orchid plants can only be imported into the U.S. from Taiwan as bare root plant, APHIS said. Comments are due Dec. 27.