The Agricultural Marketing Service is proposing to remove Section 8e size, grade, quality and maturity requirements for onions imported during the spring season, it said in a proposed rule issued Aug. 5. The agency says domestic onion producers in South Texas failed to support a marketing order for onions grown in the region in a recently held referendum. “USDA believes termination of this program would be appropriate as the Order is no longer favored by industry producers,” it said. Comments are due Oct. 4.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service added Croatia, Senegal and Algeria to the list of regions it considers to be affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) effective, respectively, Nov. 25, 2020; Jan. 12, 2021; and Feb. 10, 2021, it said in an Aug. 9 notice.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation announced Aug. 5 that Special Import Quota #16 for upland cotton will be established Aug. 12, allowing importation of 11,607,075 kilograms (53,310 bales) of upland cotton, the same as the previous quota period. The quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Nov. 9, 2021, and entered into the U.S. by Feb. 7, 2022. The quota is equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the March through May 2021 period, the most recent three months for which data is available.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will further limit imports of dogs from countries where African swine fever (ASF) exists, the agency said in an Aug. 6 news release. The new requirements include provisions related to dog bedding and microchip implants for dogs from those countries, it said. A bill introduced this week in the Senate would require every imported dog to have a health certificate from a licensed veterinarian (see 2108040067).
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation announced July 29 that Special Import Quota #15 for upland cotton will be established Aug. 5, allowing importation of 11,607,075 kilograms (53,310 bales) of upland cotton, the same as the previous quota period. The quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Nov. 2, 2021, and entered into the U.S. by Jan. 31, 2022. The quota is equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the March through May 2021 period, the most recent three months for which data is available.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation announced July 22 that Special Import Quota #14 for upland cotton will be established July 29, allowing importation of 11,607,075 kilograms (53,310 bales) of upland cotton, the same as the previous quota period. The quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Oct. 26, 2021, and entered into the U.S. by Jan. 24, 2022. The quota is equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the March through May 2021 period, the most recent three months for which data is available.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation announced July 15 that Special Import Quota #13 for upland cotton will be established July 22, allowing importation of 11,607,075 kilograms (53,310 bales) of upland cotton, up from 10,452,580 kilograms (48,008 bales) in the previous quota period. The quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Oct. 19, 2021, and entered into the U.S. by Jan. 17, 2022. The quota is equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the March through May 2021 period, the most recent three months for which data is available.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service is proposing to amend its regulations to establish a uniform 30-day deadline and uniform procedures for appealing FSIS inspection decisions or actions, it said in a notice released July 14. Current agency regulations specify various time requirements for appeals or specify no period at all, FSIS said. The proposed rule would apply to import inspection establishments. Comments are due Sept. 13.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation announced July 8 that Special Import Quota #12 for upland cotton will be established July 15, allowing importation of 10,452,580 kilograms (48,008 bales) of upland cotton, the same as the previous quota period. The quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Oct. 12, 2021, and entered into the U.S. by Jan. 10, 2022. The quota is equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the February through April 2021 period, the most recent three months for which data is available.
The Agriculture Department is increasing the fiscal year 2021 tariff rate quota for specialty sugar by 40,000 metric tons raw value, it said in a notice released July 8. The increase brings the FY21 TRQ for refined sugar, originally set at 162,000 MTRV, to 202,000 MTRV, USDA said. Entry of this sugar will be permitted beginning July 21, USDA said. The increased amount is reserved only for specialty sugars, it said.