Lacey Act declarations are required "for all formal consumption entries of plant and plant products" into the U.S., "including those entries from foreign trade zones and bonded warehouses," the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said in a notice (here). There's been confusion over several years as to whether an exemption to the requirements applies to type 06 entries (see 1602180035). The confusion stems from mentions of FTZs within a 2009 Federal Register notice (here) that said it is "not requiring a declaration for informal entries, including most personal shipments, mail, transportation and exportation entries, intransit movements, carnet importations (i.e., merchandise or equipment that will be re-exported within a year), and foreign trade zone and warehouse entries."
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service recently said it is deregulating two pests at the port of entry, after the National Plant Board agreed with its proposals to change their status to non-actionable. The two deregulated pests include (pests marked by an asterisk are still quarantine pests in Hawaii and/or territories):
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service posted to its website questions and answers on new Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection (AQI) fees for treatment services (here). APHIS recently 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, and the fee is set to increase to $95 in December 2016.
A federal judge recently approved a Department of Homeland Security search warrant request to investigate possible wood imports that violate the Lacey Act, said a June 6 filing with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. The request involves Global Plywood and Lumber, a California company suspected of illegally importing wood from Peru. The DHS investigative arm within ICE, Homeland Security Investigation, began the investigation last year after the Peruvian Forest Service provided evidence that an illegal wood shipment was destined for the Port of Houston, the filing said.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes June 2 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 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will host a public webcast from noon to 4 p.m. on Aug. 3 and 4 to discuss import and export permit regulations and exemptions for infectious biological agents, substances and vectors, the CDC said (here). Representatives from the Transportation, Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and Commerce departments, as well as CBP, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, CDC Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Public Health Agency of Canada will present during the webcast, CDC said.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will allow imports of Hass avocados from all Mexican states into the continental U.S., Hawaii and Puerto Rico, it said in a final rule (here). Previously, only imports from the Mexican state of Michoacan had been allowed. Imports from each Mexican state must meet all the requirements currently in place for Michoacan avocados, including requirements for orchard certification, traceback labeling, pre-harvest orchard surveys, orchard sanitation, post-harvest safeguards, fruit cutting and inspection at the packinghouse, port of arrival inspection, and clearance activities. Jalisco, being the only state that currently meets those requirements, is the first state, besides Michoacan, that APHIS is declaring eligible, it said. The final rule takes effect June 26.
The ACE pilot on filing of data required by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is expected to end in June, said CBP (here), presumably opening up FSIS for full ACE filing. That will be followed in July by the end of ACE pilots on filing of Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service “core” (i.e., non-Lacey Act) data and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) data. CBP has set a July 23 deadline for all entries and entry summaries under most entry types in ACE (see 1605200034). Pilots for APHIS Lacey Act, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data are already over, with filing now open to all.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes May 23 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.
Federal agencies with a hand in regulating trade released their regulatory schedules as part of the Spring 2016 Unified Agenda (here). Alongside customs regulations set for publication by the Treasury Department (see 1605230009 and Department of Homeland Security 1605190046), the Department of Agriculture and National Marine Fisheries Service set an ambitious agenda of trade-related rulemaking, including new seafood permit and filing requirements and Lacey Act forfeiture regulations. Other agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and EPA, continue to list regulations on drug imports and formaldehyde standards that have been in the pipeline for years without activity, scheduling their publication with the next several months.