Chinese seller Jinxiang Lunong Agricultural Trading's sale of dehydrated garlic to U.S. importer Green Food Ingredients isn't “bona fide” first sale that can be used to appraise a transaction, CBP ruled on May 29. This is partly because of how the transaction was structured and invoiced, the agency said.

International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.

The Court of International Trade earlier this month heard oral argument on whether a CBP protest denial effectively revoked a prior CBP protest decision by applying a different tariff classification to identical merchandise, and should have been subject to a notice-and-comment period (Under the Weather v. U.S., CIT # 21-00211).

Trade associations are generally pleased with the trade facilitation discussion draft issued in the Senate last week (see 2407310037), though they all noted that moving to a true one-U.S.-government data submission and release regime requires money, which may not follow, even if the bill becomes law.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., is sharing draft text with the trade of a bill that would remove goods subject to Section 301 tariffs from the de minimis entry lane, along with any categories deemed "import sensitive" in the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program legislation.

CBP unveiled Aug, 2 a list of proposals further defining just how President Joe Biden expects the agency to implement Biden’s "Detect and Defeat" legislation (see 2407310030) aimed at thwarting fentanyl and other illicit drugs from entering the U.S. via the millions of de minimis shipments or imports that are worth less than $800.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who has traditionally been a defender of the current law on de minimis (see 1907300048), said that while he's not up for lowering the $800 threshold, he would be willing to change the low value import process to combat fentanyl, as the White House is proposing.

A united front and better data analysis are key to ensuring that imported seafood is lawfully produced and harvested, representatives from CBP, the FDA, the Department of Labor and NOAA Fisheries said when discussing the next steps for NOAA's Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) during a July 30 webinar hosted by the Stimson Center think tank.

A bipartisan pair of senators fleshed out a trade facilitation framework released in early June (see 2406100015) with legislative text that authorizes spending to create a true single window and modernize ACE, as well as details of how duty drawback could change.

The White House is asking Congress to pass a law that "would require importers of small packages to provide additional information to Customs and Border Protection officials so that we can keep track of these packages and better detect and identify packages that are carrying illicit fentanyl precursor chemicals and related machinery," and is giving agencies 30 days to review public-private partnerships with "shipping companies, freight forwarding companies, e-commerce entities" and others to see how effective they are in stopping the distribution of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, and asking for recommendations on how to close "key gaps" in those partnerships.