On April 26, 2010, APHIS updated its Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Import PPQ Manual. The manual lists by country fruits and vegetables that are admissible into the United States. It includes a description of methods for sampling and inspecting selected fruits and vegetables. It also contains pictorial identification guides, and a glossary for common and scientific names of fruits and vegetables. (Manual, updated 04/26/10, available at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/manuals/ports/downloads/fv.pdf)
On April 27, 2010, the Office of Foreign Assets Control designated four Guatemalan drug traffickers as Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. This action prohibits U.S. persons from conducting financial or commercial transactions with the four designated individuals and freezes any assets they may have under U.S. jurisdiction. (Press release, dated 04/27/10, available at http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/tg665.htm)
The U.S. held its first Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship for Muslim-majority countries on April 27, 2010. The Commerce Department's 2010 schedule for achieving Summit goals includes leading at least five trade missions and hosting as many as 27 reverse trade missions with partners from Muslim majority countries. The State and Commerce Departments are working to advance the legal frameworks in Muslim-majority countries for advancing entrepreneurship. Fact sheet available here. (Speech, dated 04/26/10, available at http://www.commerce.gov/NewsRoom/SecretarySpeeches/PROD01_009173)
On April 26, 2010, APHIS updated the Manual for Agricultural Clearance. The manual provides CBP personnel working at airport and maritime locations with the guidelines, directions, and policy for clearing carriers and passengers/crew and controlling garbage and cargo. (Manual, updated 04/26/10, available at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/manuals/ports/mac.shtml)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture released to Congress a comprehensive report on agricultural transportation in the U.S. The report, Study of Rural Transportation Issues, and covers the four major modes of transportation commonly used by agriculture in the United States-truck, rail, barge, and ocean vessel. (News release, dated 04/27/10, available at http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome)
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced that Jo-Ann Stores Inc. of Hudson, Ohio has agreed to pay a $50,000 civil penalty to settle allegations of importing and selling children’s products that violated the federal lead paint ban.
The Agricultural Marketing Service requests comments on its plans to review the minimum quality and handling standards for domestic and imported peanuts marketed in the U.S. to determine whether they should be continued without change, amended, or rescinded to minimize the impacts on small entities. Comments are due by June 28, 2010. (D/N AMS-FV-10-0030; FV10-996-610, FR Pub 04/28/10, available at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-9833.pdf)
In March 2010, the Office of the United States Trade Representative issued its Report on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Report) to Congress.
Broker Power is now issuing weekly summary reports highlighting the most active textile and apparel tariff preference levels1 from U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s “Quota Weekly Commodity Status Report.” BP’s weekly report also lists the TRQ commodities on CBP’s weekly “TRQ/TPL Threshold to Fill List.”
The International Trade Administration has made a preliminary affirmative antidumping determination that certain seamless carbon and alloy steel standard, line, and pressure pipe from China (seamless pipe) is being, or is likely to be, sold in the U.S. at less than fair value.