The Agricultural Marketing Service is amending the USDA organic regulations to “clarify standards” for organic mushrooms and pet food, it said. The final rule, released Dec. 20, covers topics including “mushroom substrate composition and sourcing of mushroom spawn in organic mushroom production, composting requirements for organic mushroom production, composition and labeling requirements for organic pet food, and the use of certain synthetic substances, including taurine, in organic pet food,” AMS said. It takes effect Feb. 21, 2025, but organic operations have until Feb. 22, 2027, to comply with the new provisions.
The Agricultural Marketing Service is increasing assessments on importers and producers of watermelons under its watermelon promotion order, citing inflation. The rate hadn’t been increased since 2008, AMS said. Effective Jan. 22, assessments on importers of more than 150,000 pounds of watermelon per year will rise from 6 cents per hundredweight to 9 cents per hundredweight, a 50% increase.
The Wall Street Journal and CNN are reporting that the Commerce Department is investigating the security risk of TP-Link routers, and unnamed sources said the product could be banned for sale in the U.S. next year.
The House of Representatives voted 366-34 to fund the government through mid-March, as the Republican majority dropped a debt ceiling provision it tried to pair with the slimmed down spending bill on Dec. 19.
President-elect Donald Trump, in a social media posting Dec. 20, wrote: "I told the European Union that they must make up their tremendous deficit with the United States by the large scale purchase of our oil and gas. Otherwise, it is TARIFFS all the way!!!"
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
CBP has released its Dec. 18 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 58, No 50). It contains no ruling actions but includes a notice of finding that aluminum extrusions and profile products and derivatives produced or manufactured by Kingtom Aluminio with the use of convict, forced or indentured labor are being, or are likely to be, imported into the U.S. (see 2412030006). Two Court of International Trade slip opinions also are included.
CBP processed more than 2.8 million entry summaries valued at more than $283 billion in November, with duties estimated at nearly $6.97 billion, the agency said Dec. 19 in a monthly update.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has voted to require imported consumer products regulated by the CPSC to have their certificates of compliance filed electronically.
The Canadian government intends to create a new framework for eradicating forced labor from supply chains, its minister of export promotion, international trade and economic development, Mary Ng, said in a Dec. 18 response statement. The proposed legislation would require government entities and businesses "to scrutinize their international supply chains for risks to fundamental labour rights and take action to resolve these risks," and, "a new oversight agency will be created to ensure ongoing compliance."