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.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes May 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 Senate Appropriations Committee on May 19 approved a fiscal year 2017 agriculture spending bill, including some provisions that differ from its House counterpart. The Senate bill requires citrus disease inspections in Argentina, allocates $7.5 million more for import-related Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) implementation and $3.4 million more for food safety, and directs an interagency shrimp import pilot program. Senate appropriators cleared and released hard copies of the legislation immediately following full committee markup. The committee adopted two amendments proposed by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, outlining new protocols for seafood labeling (see 1605190040). The Senate and House bills now await floor consideration.
On July 23, CBP will begin requiring filing in ACE of entries and entry summaries for most remaining entry types, including entry types with quota merchandise, it said in a notice set for publication in the Federal Register (here). As of that date, ACE cargo release and entry summary will be mandatory for entry types 02, 07, 12, 21, 22, 31, 32, 34, 38, 61, 62, 63, 69 and 70, said CBP. The legacy Automated Commercial System (ACS) will no longer be available. Entry types 01, 03, 06, 11, 23, 51 and 52 are already set to become mandatory (and in some cases, already have) by that date.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes May 18 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 May 16-17 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.