The Brazilian Health Agency will soon begin a 60-day public comment period for a proposal to change the “current good manufacturing practice requirements for medicines,” according to a May 28 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The proposal will follow the guidelines of the Pharmaceutical Inspection Convention and Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme, which covers the U.S., Canada, the European Union, Japan, Australia and South Africa, the report said. The proposal will harmonize Brazilian manufacturing practices with international standards, the report said, and promote “the acceptance of Brazilian medicines in other markets.”
The Mexican Secretariat of Economy recently issued a ruling on the application to parts and components of upcoming requirements to submit a certificate of compliance with certain Mexican product standards at the time of entry, according to a May 27 circular from the Confederation of Mexican Customs Broker Associations (CAAAREM) that was posted by the consultancy AJR Comercio Exterior.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will begin to add the first commodity group of a phased-in approach for implementing organic import requirements in the Automated Import Reference System on June 10, the CFIA said in a May 28 email. The agency previously said it would begin the phase-in on May 29 (see 1905070054).
The Canada Border Services Agency updated Memorandum D19-13-2 to include multiple revised definitions and other information. The CBSA said the following changes were made:
Canada published a notice on refunds for surtaxes paid on steel goods that were subject to temporary safeguard duties but not final safeguards, in the Canada Gazette, Part II. "The Safeguard Surtax Refund Order provides refunds for provisional safeguard surtaxes paid on imports of rebar, energy tubular products, hot-rolled sheet, pre-painted steel and wire rod, as well as imports of heavy plate and stainless steel wire from Korea, Panama, Peru and Colombia specifically," the notice said. "Refunds are granted for such goods that have been imported on or after October 25, 2018, for which surtaxes have been collected under the Provisional Surtax Order, provided that no other relief of the surtax has been granted."
Canada updated the Customs Tariff with a list of subheadings covered by the final safeguards for steel goods, according to an order to amend the import control list published in the Canada Gazette, Part II. The country announced plans to impose final safeguards on steel plate and stainless rod in April (see 1904040051).
Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland submitted a notice "of a Ways and Means motion to introduce an Act to implement the Agreement between Canada, the United States of America and the United Mexican States," in the House of Commons on May 27, according to the official record. That notice marks the beginning of the process for Canada's parliament to ratify the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.
A man was ordered to pay a fine of about $22,200 after the Canada Border Services Agency said he tried to smuggle nearly 8,800 pounds of cheese through the Lansdowne, Ontario, port, CBSA said in a My 27 press release. CBSA said the man, Haissam Azzar, entered Canada with “eight skids of undeclared cheese” before being arrested and charged with smuggling. As part of the penalty, Azzar must pay the fine within five years, making a minimum payment of about $750 each year.
Canada "is no longer accepting requests from the remission of surtaxes" now that the retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. are no longer in effect, the Department of Finance Canada said in an update to its page on the process for remission requests. Canada officially announced the end to the tariffs on May 20 (see 1905200054).