The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will move forward with new import requirements to prevent the introduction of the European grapevine moth, and is planning to publish a directive in December that will take effect after 30 days, said the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in a Dec. 1 bulletin (here). Canada will recognize U.S. regulated areas for the pest, so the new requirements “should have minimal impact” on U.S. exports, said APHIS. However, shipments from other countries will have to be fumigated, produced in a CFIA-approved pest free area, or produced under a CFIA-approved systems approach. Regulated host material that is imported into the U.S. for re-export to Canada must be accompanied by documentation that demonstrates the product meets Canadian requirements, and may be fumigated in the U.S. if it doesn’t. Shipments that leave their country of origin before the new directive is published will be subject to the import requirements that were in place at the time of export, APHIS said.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will ban the importation of mango seeds and fruits from Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Martin-Sint Maarten, it said in a bulletin sent Dec. 1 (here). The ban, which takes effect Dec. 23, will prevent the introduction of the mango seed weevil, said APHIS.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes Nov. 23-27 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 listed their plans for issuing new regulations in the Fall 2015 Unified Agenda (here). New rules from FDA would amend labeling requirements for animal drugs, finalize changes to food facility registration requirements and continue to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act. Upcoming rules from the Agriculture Department are set to affect genetically engineered foods and labeling of meat products.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes Nov. 12-17 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.
The government of Canada recently issued the following trade-related notices for Nov. 16 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes Nov. 6-9 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 costs for agriculture reimbursable overtime services by CBP Agriculture Specialists will go up at the Port of Seattle, said CBP in a Nov. 5 trade information notice. The increase is the result of an Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service increase to its hourly rates for overtime services performed by APHIS, and in some cases CBP as of Nov. 2 (see 1510010017). The costs for reimbursable overtime "will be calculated by the Office of Administration, Financial Operations, Debt Management Branch based on the amount paid to the CBP Agriculture Specialist for performing the service(s), and not at the previous proscribed rates," said CBP. The Government Accountability Office recommended the fee increase in a 2013 report that found current fees are not covering all costs associated with the program, forcing CBP to dip into its own budget to make up for the shortfall (see 13030601). Industry groups have called the APHIS fee hikes “exorbitant” and “unfair” (see 14072920).
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes Nov. 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.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Oct. 26-30 in case they were missed.