High inflation has been one of the top stories of 2022, and its impact has been felt around the world. Inflation is a measure of how much things cost. Increases in transportation costs, wages, fees, and raw materials drive up supply chain costs, which in turn drives up the cost [...]
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has determined the 2023 trade surpluses for sugar, syrup goods, and sugar-containing products from its Free-Trade Agreement (FTA) partner countries. The level of a country’s trade surplus in these goods in 2021 helped determine whether the USTR granted duty-free status or preferential [...]
The Fish and Wildlife Service has made several amendments to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Appendix I and II, which deals with the import and export of wild animals and plants into and out of the US. The majority of the amendments will take effect on [...]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a final rule aimed at strengthening the oversight and enforcement of the production, handling, and sale of organic products. The Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) rule is the biggest update to the organic regulations since the original Act in 1990, according to USDA [...]
The US, along with 11 other countries in North and South America, has launched the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity (APEP), a new economic partnership designed to stimulate trade, resilience, competitiveness, shared prosperity, sustainability, and inclusivity among partners countries. The APEP, “will be a tool to bring more voices to [...]
Importers of steel and aluminum products are no longer required to provide certain information to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) by email in order to activate approved Section 323 exclusions in Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). According to a message issued on Feb. 7, the CBP stated that it is [...]
In response to what he called Russia’s “unjustified” war against Ukraine, and the negative effects the war is having on global energy prices and the United States aluminum industry, President Joe Biden has imposed a 200% tariff on Russian aluminum products. According to a statement released by the White House, [...]
The new requirements for customs brokers with power of attorney (POA) under 19 CFR 111.36(c)(3) established by the Modernization of the Customs Broker Regulations Final Rule (87 FR 63267) are now in effect. A Power of Attorney agreement gives another party (either an individual or a company) the authority to [...]
From 2018 to 2021, US importers bore nearly the full cost of the Section 232 tariffs on imports of aluminum and steel products, and the Section 301 tariffs on thousands of products imported  from China, according to a new report released by the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC). The report, [...]
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ended its policy of enforcement discretion for foreign food facilities, This had previously provided the option to select “pending” for food facility registrations. The FDA is now beginning to cancel registrations and block imports of food from facilities that have not provided a [...]
