The Food and Drug Administration has issued a notice announcing the availability of a guidance document for industry on voluntary third-party certification programs for foods and animal feeds (collectively foods).

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has pulled a notice that was intended to be published in the January 23, 2009 Federal Register, that would have announced a revision to its enforcement phase-in plan for the Lacey Act Amendment declaration requirement for imported plants and plant products, provided information on its exemptions, etc.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has issued a news release announcing the conclusion of the Special 301 Out-of-Cycle Review for Taiwan. The USTR recognized Taiwan's progress on protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights by removing Taiwan from the Special 301 Watch List. (USTR news release, dated 01/16/09, available at http://www.ustr.gov/assets/Document_Library/Press_Releases/2009/January/asset_upload_file824_15293.pdf)

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has announced that it is modifying the list of European Union products and countries subject to 100% duties in connection with the World Trade Organization's dispute settlement rulings in the EU beef hormone dispute. It is also raising the duty rate of one product to 300%.

On January 14, 2009, the House Ways and Means Committee Chairman and Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Chairman introduced H.R. 496, the "Trade Enforcement Act of 2009."

The Food and Drug Administration has issued a notice announcing its plan to launch a voluntary Secure Supply Chain (SSC) pilot program that would help promote the safety of finished drug products and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) intended for human use that are manufactured outside the U.S.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a proposed rule that would add a new 16 CFR 1500.91 in order to make determinations that certain natural, untreated and unadulterated materials and certain metals do not exceed the lead content limits for children's products¹ that are mandated by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA²).

The Food and Drug Administration has issued a press release announcing that the Departments of Health and Human Services, Agriculture, Commerce, Homeland Security, and Transportation, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative have issued a draft product safety guidance for industry titled "Good Importer Practices."

The National Marine Fisheries Service received a petition¹ requesting that the Secretary of the Treasury ban imports of swordfish from any and all countries that have not satisfied Section 101(a)(2) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a final rule, effective December 19, 2008, which exempts the Boston Billow Nursing Pillow and substantially similar nursing pillows from CPSC's ban of "baby bean bag" infant cushions/pillows under 16 CFR 1500.18(a)(16)(i)¹.