Colombia “ignored its own Essential Facts report” when it extended by five years its countervailing duty on U.S. ethanol imports, the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service said in an April 10 report. Colombia issued an essential facts report in January on its expiry review of the duties, which “argued that there is evidence of continued subsidies for U.S. ethanol, but no clear evidence that the current CVD improved the local ethanol industry’s economic performance,” USDA said. The report calculated a recommended CVD of .035¢/kg, lower than the original .066¢/kg, but Colombia “ignored its own report and issued a final ruling," USDA said, and extended the original investigation duty of .066¢/kg on U.S. ethanol for five years.

Mexico and Colombia recently announced antidumping duty actions on certain products from mainland China, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported April 4. Mexico renewed an AD order on certain aluminum cookware for five years, while Colombia began an AD sunset review on steel sinks.

The Canada Border Services Agency in October plans to implement the second phase of a multiyear project to improve certain customs filings and activities, the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service said in a recent report. The next phase of CBSA’s Assessment and Revenue Management (CARM) project will “expand the functionality” of its client portal to include “electronic commercial accounting declarations with ability for corrections and adjustments,” new requirements involving Canada’s Release Prior to Payment program, harmonized billing cycles, new offsetting options, and an electronic management of appeals and compliance actions. The project is meant to “facilitate the collection of duties and taxes for goods imported” into Canada, the report said, and is aimed at simplifying “the overall importing process.”

Brazil recently added 937 items and removed 67 items from its list of foreign capital goods and information technology and telecommunications goods subject to duty-free treatment under its Ex-Tarifario regime, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported March 24. The 794 added capital goods are classified in Harmonized System chapters 84, 85, 86, 89, 90 and 94. The 143 added IT and telecom goods are classified in chapters 84, 85 and 90. Duty-free treatment lasts through Dec. 31, 2025. The country also established or renewed tariff‑rate quotas on several goods, including certain steel and aluminum sheets, air traffic control antennas and blood pressure measuring devices.

Argentina recently suspended poultry exports after detecting highly pathogenic avian influenza in its commercial poultry industry, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service said March 15. USDA noted Argentina is China’s third-largest chicken supplier but said the export suspension is not expected to affect China’s global poultry imports because “alternative origin suppliers may be able to bridge the potential supply gap” this year.

A trade group for the Mexican steel industry, CANACERO, warned that Mexico likely will retaliate against U.S. steel exports if the U.S. reimposes 25% tariffs on Mexican steel -- and the U.S. exports much more steel to Mexico than vice versa.

U.S. agricultural exports to the Dominican Republic reached a record high of $2.2 billion in 2022, a 14% increase from 2021, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service said in a report this week. The agency said the increase was driven by more demand for “consumer-oriented products,” adding that the top U.S. exports to the D.R. were pork and pork products.

Canada and Mexico signed a memorandum of understanding earlier this month recognizing the two countries’ national organic systems as equivalent. The Canada–Mexico Organic Equivalency Arrangement, which took effect Feb. 15, allows certain Canadian certified organic products to be sold as organic in Mexico, and vice versa, as long as the terms of the MOU are met, Canada said. The MOU covers a range of Canadian and Mexican organic products exports, including plant-origin agricultural goods, certain plant-origin processed foods, livestock and “beekeeping products.”

Canada and Peru recently announced antidumping duty actions and decisions on certain products from mainland China, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Feb. 9.

Canada added new sanctions barring the export or sale of aviation fuel “to the Myanmar military regime,” it said in a Jan. 31 news release. At the same time, Canada designated six senior Myanmar military figures under its Myanmar sanctions: Htein Win, Htin Latt Oo, Than Hteik, Nyunt Win Swe, Phone Myat and Thet Pon. The announcement came on the second anniversary of a Feb. 1, 2021, military coup d’etat in the country, and was joined by similar actions from the U.S. and the U.K. (see 2301310020 and 2301310023).