CBP officially scheduled its annual trade symposium for Oct. 24-25th in the Washington, D.C. area. CBP said it will enforce a limit of three people from the same company to enable a wide variety of companies to participate.

CBP released its Aug. 28 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 47, No. 36). While the Bulletin does not contain any ruling articles, it does include recent general notices and Court of International Trade decisions.

The CBP Port of Buffalo will be hosting its 2nd Annual Trade Day on Sept. 12 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at port office location in Buffalo, N.Y., CBP said. The event is free and will have no formal presentations, but attendees are encouraged to bring questions and interact one-on-one with government officials “responsible for processing and facilitating trade related import transactions while enforcing various trade laws.” The meeting will be an opportunity for industry members to gain information relevant to their specific issues and “establish contacts for future reference,” CBP said.

CBP has made significant steps towards ensuring officers are fully trained, in addition to providing integrity-related programs to prevent attempted corruption of their workforce, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in reports released Aug. 28. CBP has closed three out of four GAO recommendations “aimed at strengthening officer training,” which came as a response to a December 2011 report indicating that CBP had revised its training program but could do more to “identify and address incumbent officer training needs.” The report said that CBP could be “evaluating the effectiveness of training and conducting a comprehensive assessment of the results of covert tests of CBP’s inspection processes.” GAO recommendations included developing a training needs assessment to identify any existing skills gaps, and establishing specific roles and responsibilities for training and related oversight.

Correction: The CBP enforcement date for new entry requirements on container residue is Nov. 25. CBP will also begin its pilot on “residue entry” on that date (see 13082616).

CBP officers at the Los Angeles International Airport seized 215 watches, bearing counterfeit designer trademarks like Rolex and Cartier, via air cargo from China on Aug. 8, CBP said. The watches have an estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price of around $1.2 million, if genuine. Todd Owen, director of CBP’s Los Angeles Field Operations office, said the seizure “is testament to our officers’ vigilance in protecting the intellectual property rights of manufacturers and retailers.”

CBP posted a Aug. 27 version of its CF 1400 (Record of Vessel in Foreign Trade Entrances) electronic query report of the Vessel Management System (VMS), in accordance with 19 CFR 4.95, organized by entrances. CBP also posted a version of its CF 1401 (Record of Vessel in Foreign Trade Clearances) electronic query report of the VMS, in accordance with 19 CFR 4.95, organized by clearances.

CBP updated its list of ports in the Paperless Master In-Bond Program. The program uses data from the Automated Manifest System to track movement and disposition of master in-bond shipments from the ocean carrier’s custody at the port of unlading to the same ocean carrier’s custody at the port of destination, CBP said (here). Because the movement, accountability and disposition of the merchandise is recorded and tracked within AMS, paper documentation (CBP Form 7512) is not required, CBP said.

CBP corrected its Federal Register notice for the second phase of the Document Image System (DIS) pilot program (see 13072208) to include a better description of one of the forms included in the pilot. The description of Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) Form 586 was corrected to say "Permit To Transit Plants and/or Plant Products, Plant Pests, and/or Associated Soil through the U.S." That form "serves as both the application for a permit, and once approved, the permit itself," said CBP.

CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues: