The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced it will hold a series of webinars in September to discuss recently proposed large increases to agriculture quarantine and inspection (AQI) fees (see 2308100026). Four webinars on Sept. 12 and 13 will address the proposed changes to fees for commercial air, truck, ocean and rail cargo. All will be recorded for those who can’t attend the live session, APHIS said.
USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation announced Aug. 10 that Special Import Quota #17 for upland cotton will be established Aug. 17, allowing importation of 12,641,719 kilograms (58,062 bales) of upland cotton. The quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Nov. 14, 2023, and entered into the U.S. by Feb. 12, 2024. Special Import Quota #16 for upland cotton was announced Aug. 3. Established Aug. 10, the quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Nov. 7, 2023, and entered into the U.S. by Feb. 5, 2024. The allowed amount in the #14 quota is also 12,641,719 kilograms (58,062 bales) of upland cotton. The quotas are equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the April through June 2023 period, the most recent three months for which data is available.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is seeking public comments on an information collection involving import restrictions for animals that could introduce bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) into the U.S. APHIS said it’s looking to renew the information collection, which outlines restrictions on imports of certain animals, birds, poultry, meat and other animal products and byproducts to “prevent the introduction of various animal diseases,” including BSE, a chronic degenerative disease that affects the central nervous system of cattle. The agency’s regulations place “specific conditions” on these imports, including various certifications, import certificates, permits, recordkeeping requirements and more. Comments are due Oct. 10.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service this week proposed updates and amendments to its user fee regulations under its agricultural quarantine and inspection (AQI) program. The agency is proposing increases to its fees for certain AQI services provided in connection with certain cargo and commercial vessels, railroad cars, trucks and aircraft arriving at U.S. ports. It would also adjust the caps on prepaid fees associated with commercial trucks and railroad cars, remove certain fee exemptions “that are no longer justifiable based upon pathway analyses of risk” and restructure the treatment monitoring fee, among other fee changes. Comments are due Oct. 10.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is seeking comments on an information collection involving import regulations for bees and "related articles," the agency said in a notice. The regulations cover applications for a permit, packaging and labeling requirements, notices of arrival for shipments from approved regions, port of entry inspections, recordkeeping requirements and more. Comments are due Oct. 3.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's new automated message process for plants, vegetables and fruit imports (see 230707001) will help importers know more quickly if they have submitted a species or subspecies that doesn't exist, and, if accurate data is submitted ahead of arrival, should help cargo get released more quickly.
USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation announced July 27 that Special Import Quota #15 for upland cotton will be established Aug. 3, allowing importation of 8,623,379 kilograms (39,606 bales) of upland cotton, the same as the previous quota period. The quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Oct. 31, 2023, and entered into the U.S. by Jan. 29, 2024. Special Import Quota #14 for upland cotton was announced July 20. Established July 27, the quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Oct. 24, 2023, and entered into the U.S. by Jan. 22, 2024. The allowed amount in the #14 quota is also 8,623,379 kilograms (39,606 bales) of upland cotton. The quotas are equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the February through April 2023 period, the most recent three months for which data is available.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is setting FY 2024 country allocations for imports under tariff-rate quotas for cane sugar and refined sugars. The FY 2024 import TRQ for raw cane sugar was established at 1,117,195 metric tons raw value (MTRV), the minimum amount to which the U.S. is committed under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Uruguay Round Agreements (see 2307050038). The USTR now allocates this TRQ among supplying countries and customs areas, as follows:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced that it is banning imports of parts of banana and plantain plants from Venezuela due to detection of the plant pest Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Tropical race 4. The prohibition, which takes effect July 19 and was announced in an amended Federal Order, does not apply to banana and plantain fruits, seeds, leaves, cut flowers or plants in tissue culture, APHIS said. Rather, the ban covers imports of Musa spp. and Ensete ventricosum plant parts including rooted plants, rooted and unrooted cuttings, roots, and rhizomes.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation announced July 13 that Special Import Quota #13 for upland cotton will be established July 20, allowing importation of 8,623,379 kilograms (39,606 bales) of upland cotton, the same as the previous quota period. The quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Oct. 17, 2023, and entered into the U.S. by Jan. 15, 2024. Special Import Quota #12 for upland cotton was announced July 6. Established July 13, the quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Oct. 10, 2023, and entered into the U.S. by Jan. 8, 2024. The allowed amount in the #12 quota is 8,623,379 kilograms (39,606 bales) of upland cotton, up from 8,079,827 kilograms (37,110 bales) under quota #11 (see 2306300072). The quotas are equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the February through April 2023 period, the most recent three months for which data is available.