CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for June 20-24 in case they were missed.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes June 21 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 revise its regulations to allow for use of the International Trade Data System (ITDS), the agency said in a notice (here). Effective as of June 21, APHIS will remove requirements for paper submissions for import or export of animals, animal products, plant and plant products, it said. "The amendments we are making in this final rule are not to mandate the use of electronic systems or preclude the use of paper documents; rather, they address those instances where our regulations specify a submission method to the exclusion of other methods," APHIS said.
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.