The U.S. has not taken action to pave the way for Argentine beef (chilled or frozen) exports to the U.S. market despite a July Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service move to lift the ban, the Argentine delegation to the World Trade Organization told American officials during a Dispute Settlement Body meeting on Oct. 28. The U.S. previously put that ban in place over foot-and-mouth disease concerns, but WTO judges have sided with Argentina in the dispute, saying the ban doesn’t meet sanitary and phytosanitary standards (see 1507300070). The Argentine statements took the U.S. off guard, said the WTO in a release (here). “The U.S. was of the view that it had addressed the matters raised in this dispute,” the release said. APHIS didn't comment.
CBP should “lock down” Automated Commercial Environment business rules, implementation guides, and record layouts for all partner government agencies (PGAs), allowing no additional changes prior to the February 2016 ACE mandatory use date in order to give filers time to implement and test PGA programming, said the CBP Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC) in a recommendation adopted at the group’s Oct. 29 meeting. “The agencies have had enough time to finalize their layouts,” said the recommendation, put forward by the COAC One U.S. Government at the Border (1USG) committee. “Importers and filers need to be afforded the same courtesy, in terms of having adequate time to complete and test their own programming.”
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 published its final rule raising Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection (AQI) fees on Oct. 29, as scheduled (here). The final regulations also create a new fee for treatment services, and removes caps on fees for ocean vessels and aircraft (see 1510260080). As anticipated, the final rule will take effect Dec. 28.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes Oct. 26 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.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – CBP’s partner government agency (PGA) filing pilots in the Automated Commercial Environment are still hampered by a lack of participants, said Steve Hilsen, leader of International Trade Data System efforts at CBP, speaking at the Coalition of New England Companies for Trade Northeast Cargo Symposium on Oct. 27. Some PGAs are “ready to roll” with their pilot programs, but have yet to attract a single volunteer, he said.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is moving forward with changes to its Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection (AQI) fees, and will soon publish a final rule in the Federal Register to implement fee increases for certain transportation modes and a new fee for treatment services, it said (here). The final rule will also remove caps on fees for vessels and railcars, and increase the caps on fees for trucks with transponders. According to APHIS' publication schedule, the new fees will take effect on Dec. 28, though the agency will allow for a staged implementation of the treatment fee over the next five years, it said in the final rule (here).
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes Oct. 20-23 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.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will allow imports of fresh peppers from Ecuador, it said in a final rule (here). Effective Nov. 23, the common bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), locoto pepper (Capsicum baccatum L.), habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense Jacq.), tabasco pepper (Capsicum frutescens L.), and manzano pepper (Capsicum pubescens Ruiz & Pav.) will be allowed for importation from Ecuador into the entire United States. Importation will be subject to conditions, including fruit fly trapping, pre-harvest inspections, production sites, and packinghouse procedures designed to exclude quarantine pests.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service on Oct. 23 announced it is adding Croatia to its list of regions that are free of foot-and-mouth disease, rinderpest, and swine vesicular disease, and its list of regions considered free or low-risk for classical swine fever, in a notice (here). The determination, which takes effect Nov. 23, paves the way for imports of swine, pork, and pork products from Croatia.