FDA ends its temporary discretion for food facilities, begins canceling registrations

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 [...]

By |2024-01-31T01:07:52+00:00January 31, 2024|Imports|0 Comments

New updates announced for ACE

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced the latest set of updates that will be coming to the ACE reporting system over the next few months. ACE, which stands for Automated Commercial Environment, is the platform used to report imports and exports so that the government can determine admissibility. [...]

A customs broker’s guide to cyber security

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has just released a framework for how customs brokers can prepare for and respond to a worst-case scenario: a cyber attack on your data system. The guide (PDF version here) recommends the following tips: Prevention and Protection Have a written cybersecurity policy and/or set [...]

By |2024-01-31T01:21:30+00:00January 31, 2024|Imports|0 Comments

New information collection fields proposed for fish and wildlife imports

The Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to make revisions to USFWS Form 3-177, the form used by U.S. importers and exporters of fish and wildlife. Under the Endangered Species Act it is against the law to import or export fish, wildlife, or plants without filing a declaration or report [...]

By |2024-01-31T01:11:34+00:00January 31, 2024|Imports|0 Comments

Importing shrimp: Eligible countries and guidelines

The State Department has published a list of certified nations and fisheries that wild-caught shrimp are allowed to be imported from. For all other nations and fishers not on the list, only shrimp harvested from aquaculture (farmed) are eligible to enter the United States. The complete list of certified nations, [...]

By |2024-01-31T01:11:17+00:00January 30, 2024|Imports|0 Comments

Pandemic significantly impacted supply chains and goods imports: ITC

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has published a report detailing the significant impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on U.S. supply chains. The document, titled Recent Trends in U.S. Services Trade: 2023 Annual Report, includes specific discussions on retail supply chains, e-commerce, logistics, warehousing, maritime shipping, port services, trucking [...]

By |2024-01-31T01:10:33+00:00January 30, 2024|Imports, Ocean Cargo, Shipping, Studies and Reports, Supply Chain|0 Comments

Trigger levels updated for additional duties on agricultural goods

The Department of Agriculture has updated the quantity-based trigger levels for products that may be subject to additional import duties under the safeguard provisions of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Agriculture. The WTO Agreement on Agriculture provides that additional import duties may be imposed on imports of products [...]

By |2024-01-31T01:10:00+00:00January 30, 2024|Imports, Tariffs|0 Comments

New USDA Final Rule strengthens the organic goods supply chain

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Agricultural Marketing Service have implemented a Final Rule strengthening the enforcement of the National Organic Program, which governs the production, handling, and sale of organic agricultural products. The Final Rule, which came into effect earlier this year and will be implemented on [...]

By |2024-01-31T01:06:14+00:00January 30, 2024|Imports, Legislation, Trade|0 Comments

Government urges due diligence for gold importers

The U.S. government has issued the Africa Gold Advisory, which highlights the opportunities and risks associated with the gold trade across sub-Saharan Africa, and encourages industry participants to apply and strengthen their due diligence practices to ensure that bad actors are unable to benefit from the sector, which remains essential [...]

By |2024-01-30T23:38:50+00:00January 30, 2024|Imports|0 Comments

New restrictions placed on animal imports from Costa Rica to combat screwworm

Until further notice, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is restricting the importation of animal commodities originating from or transiting Costa Rica based on the diagnosis of New World screwworm in a dog. The restrictions vary based on the animal: APHIS prohibits the [...]

By |2024-01-30T23:36:02+00:00January 30, 2024|Imports|0 Comments