The Office of U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has released its 2007 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers (NTE), which is an annual report documenting foreign trade and investment barriers and U.S. actions to reduce and eliminate those barriers.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a notice reopening the comment period until May 14, 2007 on its proposed rule to prohibit the use of certain cattle material in, or in the manufacture (including processing) of, drugs (prescription, over-the-counter, and homeopathic), biologics (such as vaccines), and medical devices intended for use in humans and human cells, tissues, and cellular and tissue-based products (HCT/Ps) (collectively, medical products for humans), and in drugs intended for use in ruminant animals (like cattle and sheep).

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a proposed rule that would amend 19 CFR Parts 111, 113, 141, 142, and 143 to make Remote Location Filing (RLF) permanent, instead of a prototype as it is currently. Written comments are due by May 22, 2007.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have each issued notices requesting comments to determine how insect repellent-sunscreen combination products should be regulated.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a notice announcing that it will conduct two seminars to help mattress manufacturers, importers, retailers and others in the mattress industry better understand the requirement of the CPSC's new mattress flammability standard, which will become effective on July 1, 2007.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a proposed rule that would amend 21 CFR 101.81(c)(2)(iii) to exempt certain whole oat products from the "low fat" nutrient content requirement for soluble fiber from certain foods and coronary heart disease health claims (soluble fiber health claims).

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a proposed rule that would amend 16 CFR Part 1610, Standard for the Flammability of Clothing Textiles (Standard), to better reflect current consumer practices and technologies and to clarify several aspects of the Standard.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a notice and press release announcing that it is further delaying the March 1, 2007 effective date for the collection of agricultural quarantine and inspection (AQI) user fees for commercial trucks and railroad cars entering the U.S. from Canada until June 1, 2007.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a notice partially reopening the comment period until March 23, 2007 on its and the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC's) interim final rule on the capture, transport, sale, barter, exchange, distribution, and release of African rodents, prairie dogs, and certain other animals, which was published in the November 4, 2003 Federal Register.

Piracy “infects” key markets and many nations are loath to administer a cure, the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) told the USTR. Russia and China again topped IIPA’s list of pirate-friendly countries, as USTR prepares its annual Special 301 review of piracy and market access problems around the world.