The Food and Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are amending, effective October 7, 2005, the interim final rules issued in 2004 on the use of materials derived from cattle in human food and/or cosmetics, in order to provide for the use of most parts of beef small intestine.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a series of meetings entitled "Vision 2006 - A Conversation With the American Public," that will take place in three cities. The FDA states that the meetings will be an open format where consumers can interact directly with FDA's leadership to discuss issues of public interest. According to the FDA, it will also use the meetings to update the public on current agency programs, engage the public in discussion, and obtain consumer input on specific issues.
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) has posted to its web site updated preliminary textile and apparel import data for 2005, which now covers the 2005 period from approximately mid-May 2005 through August 2005.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice announcing that it will conduct a Special 301 out-of-cycle review (OCR) focused on whether Ukraine has fully implemented certain improvements to its legislation protecting intellectual property rights (IPR) and has otherwise strengthened IPR enforcement.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently posted to its Web site a guidance document entitled "Questions and Answers Regarding the Establishment and Maintenance of Records" under the Bioterrorism Act. The FDA states that this Q&A represents the FDA's current thinking on this topic and is immediately effective.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a notice announcing the availability of "Notify U.S.," a free, web-based e-mail service that offers U.S. citizens, industries and organizations an opportunity to review and comment on proposed foreign technical regulations that can affect their businesses and their access to international markets.
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) has issued a notice announcing that on August 31, 2005, the U.S. requested consultations with the government of China with respect to imports of Chinese origin cotton and man-made fiber (MMF) brassieres and other body supporting garments in category 349/649 and other synthetic filament fabric in category 620.
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) has posted to its web site updated preliminary textile and apparel import data for 2005, which now covers the 2005 period from approximately mid-May 2005 through mid-August 2005.
The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) lifted the 100% tariff sanctions imposed on Ukraine, citing the govt.’s attempts to improve its legislative framework to protect intellectual property rights (IPR). The clampdown had been in place since 2002 on about $75 million worth of Ukrainian exports to the U.S. In July, the Ukrainian parliament adopted an important set of amendments to strengthen the country’s licensing regime and embolden antipiracy enforcement efforts. USTR is also conducting a Special 301 out-of-cycle review to focus on Ukraine’s IPR enforcement and consider the country’s status as a “priority foreign country” and its eligibility for “generalized system of preferences” benefits.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a press release announcing that the U.S. is lifting the 100% retaliatory duty rates that have been imposed since 2002 on imports of certain fuel oils, fertilizers, pigments, footwear, diamonds, etc. from the Ukraine.