The Canada government issued the following trade-related notices as of July 10 (some may also be given separate headlines):

The Alliance for Trade Enforcement is asking U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to bring up intellectual property and agriculture issues with Mexico and Canada in the USMCA. The alliance includes trade groups in pharmaceutical, biotech and creative industries and the National Association of Manufacturers, in addition to broad trade groups such as the National Foreign Trade Council and the U.S. Council for International Business.

The Canada government issued the following trade-related notices as of July 8 (some may also be given separate headlines):

Canada will no longer allow imports of commercial puppies under eight months of age from Ukraine. Following an investigation into a large shipment of puppies from the country, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is canceling all import permits for commercial puppies under eight months, and will no longer issue new permits for imports of puppies under eight months from Ukraine, it said in a July 6 statement. “The CFIA's decision is based on investigation findings of possible failures to comply with import requirements, including animal welfare concerns. These actions will remain in effect until the CFIA is satisfied that import conditions and international transport standards are in place and that animals will travel safely in the future,” it said.

Brazil added 356 items to its list of foreign capital goods and information technology and telecommunications goods subject to duty-free treatment under the country’s Ex-Tarifario regime, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council said in a July 3 report. Of the items, 329 are capital goods, and 27 are IT and telecom goods, the report said. The goods will benefit from duty-free treatment though Dec. 31, 2021. Brazil also renewed tariff-rate quotas on imports for six products: pigments, certain paper, aluminum ingot, chromium sulfate, p-Xylene and polyamide.

Brazil clarified the scope of medical goods subject to export restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic (see 2004300017), the Hong Kong Trade Development Council said July 3. The goods encompass a range of personal protective equipment, including plastic goggles, masks, gloves and “protective capes.” Brazil will also restrict exports of “resuscitation breathing apparatus,” certain ventilators, hospital beds and multi-parameter monitors. The export ban does not apply to: personal protective equipment that cannot be used in the health sector; “on-board supplies”; temporary exports intended for “homologation, tests, prototypes, etc.”; and temporary exports for “outward processing,” the report said.

The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of July 1 (some may also be given separate headlines):

The International Dairy Foods Association told the chief agricultural negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative that it believes Canada is already violating the annex on tariff rate quotas in the USMCA. The dairy trade group, which sent a letter to Ambassador Gregg Doud on June 30, says that USMCA prohibits TRQs from having conditions or eligibility requirements beyond those already in the Canadian Tariff Schedule -- and that Canada is doing just that.

The Canada Border Services Agency issued a memorandum June 25 on its interpretation of the phrase “for domestic purposes” under certain tariff items under the Harmonized System headings 94.01 and 94.03. Canada said “intended use, rather than the actual use, of furniture is the test” to determine whether furniture is classified “for domestic purposes,” the memorandum said. Canada also said the phrase should be given “a broad enough interpretation to include products that are used primarily in a domestic setting,” and that an item's “design, characteristics, marketing and pricing” should all be considered.

The Andean Community recently delayed the effective date for updated import requirements for cosmetic products to March 1, 2021, a June 24 Hong Kong Trade Development Council report said. The measures, which were scheduled to take effect May 27, will harmonize regional requirements for cosmetic products throughout the Andean Community’s free trade area, including for production, importation, storage and quality control, the report said. The Andean Community includes Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, with neighboring countries as associate members.