Mexican Economy Secretary Raquel Buenrostro said in Mexico this week that if the U.S. reimposes 25% tariffs on Mexican steel exports over alleged surges, Mexico will retaliate. Mexico's steel exports are only 2.5% of the U.S. market, and U.S. steel exports are 14% of the Mexican market, so the U.S. has more to lose if Section 232 tariffs on Mexican steel return, she said.

Canadian steel importers soon will need to report “country of melt and pour” information to the Canada Border Services Agency when filling out their customs declarations, Canada announced Feb. 21. The new requirement, part of the country's steel import monitoring program, takes effect Nov. 5, although importers have the option of reporting that information now. “This process will ensure Canada is working with the steel industry to support an effective and smooth transition to mandatory reporting in fall 2024,” Canada said.

The Dominican Republic recently activated a safeguard measure to impose a higher tariff rate for imports of chicken leg quarters from the U.S. for the remainder of the year, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service said in a November report. The agency said the country activated the measure under the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement after the Dominican Republic imported 2,236 metric tons of the U.S. chicken from Jan. 1 through Oct. 1, exceeding the 1,820 metric ton threshold established under CAFTA-DR for safeguard activation. Those imports will face a 61.38% tariff rate -- an increase from the 23.8% out of quota tariff rate that had been applied -- through Dec. 31.

The Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise is investigating Zara Canada for alleged use of Uyghur forced labor in the company's supply chain, CORE said. The investigation, which CORE began Nov. 6, comes in response to a complaint filed by 28 civil society organizations in June 2022.

Ecuador this month officially opened its market for imports of U.S. rough rice, paving the way for a “potential $155 million annual market” for American rice producers, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said Oct. 30. Ecuador’s announcement, which came after “consultations” with APHIS and industry officials, sets new interim entry requirements for U.S. rice. APHIS said it has notified U.S. exporters about the change and updated requirements in the Phytosanitary Export Database system on Oct. 24 to “allow shipments to initiate under the interim conditions that Ecuador set.” The agency added that Ecuadorian importers “have already arranged purchases under these terms.” A pest risk assessment is still pending by Ecuador’s national plant protection organization, APHIS said, and after that is performed the country will “make a final decision on requirements.”

USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service reminded exporters last week of a recent development in Mexico’s implementation plan for new import labeling requirements, which could impact U.S. exports. Phase two of the implementation, which began Oct. 1, will include “changes to mandatory evaluation and calculation levels for caloric value, sodium and sugar” for certain processed foods and nonalcoholic drinks, the agency said. Mexican authorities will be assessing whether they should set “new thresholds for ingredients determined as excessive,” and those products could be subject to a “new warning label or a precautionary legend.”

U.S. agricultural exports could take a hit due to ongoing border closure between the Dominican Republic and Haiti, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service said in a recently released report. USDA said the border was closed due to a dispute over the construction of a canal on the Haitian side of the Dajabon River, affecting trade between the two sides, including U.S. agricultural exports that are delivered to the D.R. before then being exported to Haiti.

Brazil, Canada and Mexico recently announced antidumping and countervailing duty actions and decisions on certain products from mainland China, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Oct. 16.

The Dominican Republic is beginning to receive Brazilian pork and beef products, which could affect U.S. exports, the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service said in a recent report. The agency said Brazil announced Aug. 9 that it had “opened the market for pork and beef products” in the D.R., and although Brazilian beef is subject to a 40% tariff and pork is subject to a 25% tariff, Brazilian meats have “proved to be extremely competitive” in the D.R. USDA said U.S. pork exports in particular are expected to “be fiercely challenged” by Brazilian pork shipments to the D.R. The U.S. “supplied 91 percent of total pork exports” to the D.R. last year (see 2302220019), USDA said.

The U.S. and the Dominican Republic recently agreed to “significantly reduce” restrictions the D.R. had established on American poultry after a 2022 outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service said in a report this week. The agency said the new requirements will allow U.S. counties free of HPAI to export their poultry to the D.R., and the USDA expects the change will allow U.S. poultry producers to regain the market share they lost to Brazilian poultry exporters in the D.R. “This will represent additional exports of millions of dollars for U.S. poultry producers in 2023 and beyond,” USDA said. The agency said it worked with several D.R. government agencies and senior government officials to convince the country to reduce the restrictions.