The government of Canada recently issued the following trade-related notices for March 15 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):
The European Union recently issued a guidance document on trade and customs procedures for the EU after the withdrawal of the United Kingdom if there is no deal between the EU and U.K, according to a posting on the Malta Customs website. The guidance includes information on country of origin status, entry requirements, special duty-free classification and special procedures including transit, warehousing and inward and outward processing.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a report reminding U.S. exporters that Hong Kong’s policy regarding bans of U.S. poultry and eggs that may have been subject to an avian influenza outbreak defines the effective date as the date of departure from the U.S. The practice ensures U.S. poultry products on their way to Hong Kong can access the Chinese market when an outbreak occurs, even if the goods were produced during the avian influenza “incubation period.” Products produced before the incubation period will be accepted from the “affected country,” as long as they were shipped before the ban took effect, USDA said. “However, once the ban is imposed,” the report said, “products originating from or processed in the AI infected county well before the AI incubation period are not allowed entry to Hong Kong.”
The U.K. Parliament voted March 13 that the U.K. should not leave the European Union without a deal, paving the way for another vote that could seek to delay that departure beyond the March 29 deadline. Although the vote is not legally binding, it formally signaled Parliament’s opposition to a no-deal Brexit -- the possibility of the U.K. leaving the EU without an agreed framework for cross-border transactions. The measure passed 321-278. A March 14 vote on another amendment on whether to delay Brexit is expected, according to reports.
The United Kingdom would temporarily set tariffs at zero for nearly 90 percent of imported goods should it leave the European Union with no transition deal in place, the U.K. Department for International Trade said in a March 13 press release announcing a draft tariff and customs scheme in the run-up to a vote in Parliament on whether to leave with no deal.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency sent an AIRS update announcing that it changed the release recommendation for the Pacific cupped oyster originating in the U.S from “Refer to CFIA -- NISC” to “Refuse entry" when destined to the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec. The change affects goods of Canadian tariff subheading 03.07.11.1888.75.
CBP would like even more public feedback on how to modernize the agency's processes and regulations, CBP said in a notice. CBP said it is reopening the comment period until April 11 to allow for new input after it held a March 1 meeting to discuss a wide range of ideas for updates. The March 1 meeting included few mentions of exports, but the docket of the original request for comments includes multiple suggestions and criticisms on the export side.
Agricultural products imported into the European Union from the United Kingdom will face new export certificate requirements related to radiation testing once the U.K. leaves the EU at the end of March 29, the EU said in a new regulation published March 8. The EU requires non-members to test their agricultural product exports for radioactive contamination if they are located in the zone affected by the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, and the U.K. will become one of those countries after Brexit, the EU said. “As soon as Union law ceases to apply to and in the United Kingdom, agricultural products originating in the United Kingdom will have to be checked in terms of radioactive contamination before they are allowed to enter the Union,” the regulation said.
CBP is starting to automate filings on used-car exports, a move that will help it more efficiently regulate an industry that has been “heavily infiltrated” by international criminal organizations, said Jim Swanson, director of CBP’s cargo and conveyance security and controls division. Swanson said CBP will move from a paper-based to an electronic-based filing system for used-car exports, which will allow the agency to verify or prohibit certain exports more quickly and accurately, abandoning an old method that sometimes resulted in original car titles getting lost.
Brazil recently issued updated guidance that “aims to modernize and facilitate” procedures related to origin facilitation, KPMG said in a March 5 client alert. “Among other innovations,” the new guidance establishes that “an origin declaration may be presented for tariff preference purposes if provided for in the relevant trade agreement,” and also says “self-regulation (via import declarations) may be allowed for the importer, buyer or consignee, subject to certain conditions, and before [Brazil customs] initiates a procedure regarding the proof of origin,” KPMG said. The guidance also sets definitions for key terms, including proof of origin, declaration of origin and certificate of compliance.