Sri Lanka looks set to create an authorized economic operator (AEO) program to provide expedited customs clearance for low-risk importers. The country’s 2019 budget proposal, presented in the Sri Lankan parliament March 5, includes provisions on the new AEO program, as well as on changes to Sri Lanka’s “port and airport development levy,” KPMG said in a client alert. Among those changes are new exemptions from the levy for alfalfa meal and pellets for the livestock industry and goods imported for construction of large projects, as well as a reduction in the levy for certain high-tech plant, machinery and equipment, the firm said.

Japan’s upcoming imperial succession will bring customs clearance to a halt, and the arrival of any cargo during the period should be avoided, according to a client alert from the Arpin International Group. The “Golden Week” will be held April 29-May 6, marking the abdication of Japanese Emperor Akihito and the accession to the throne of Crown Prince Naruhito. “Most public authorities, customs offices, harbor companies, and many general companies will be closed during this time,” Arpin said.

South Korea recently notified the World Trade Organization that it is considering a new safety standard for outdoor exercise equipment. The proposed regulations would set safety requirements, test methods and labeling requirement, the notification says. It would be adopted no earlier than June 2019, and would enter into force no earlier than May 2020, according to the notification.

The Philippines has begun an investigation into whether to impose safeguard duties on float glass, according to a report from the World Trade Organization. The safeguards would cover “clear and tinted float glass classified under AHTN Codes 7005.29.90 (clear float glass), 7005.21.90 (tinted float glass), including 7005.10.90 (reflective glass),” the Philippines’ WTO notification said.

China is temporarily eliminating import tariffs on certain oil-meal products in an effort to find an alternative for soybean meal, according to a March 11 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The 2019 tariff change was set for this, along with other selected commodities, at the end of 2018 “to encourage oil meal imports as a substitute,” USDA said, as a result of the sharp drop in soybean imports in 2018 because of the ongoing U.S.-China trade dispute. USDA defines the oil-related products as “plant-based oil meals,” which includes oil residue resulting from extractions of peanut oil, cotton seeds, sunflower seeds, linseeds, rapeseeds, coconuts and “other plant products used in animal feeding.” China has eliminated import tariffs on those products for 2019, starting Jan. 1, the report said.

A “major” Hong Kong retail chain is requiring local suppliers to notify the chain 12 weeks before they make price increases, prompting suppliers to allege a breach of competition law, according to a March 13 U.S. Department of Agriculture report. The 12-week advance notice would allow the retailer to obtain “sensitive commercial data” that would likely be beneficial, the report said, because the retailer also buys direct from overseas suppliers and carries its own branded products. “The information requested from suppliers is conducive to the pricing of the retailer’s own products,” USDA said. The report does not name the chain, but calls it a “major supermarket.”

China recently issued a national food safety standard for vegetable oil, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The standard, which was implemented in late 2018, provides standards for “crude vegetable oil, edible vegetable oil, edible vegetable blend oil and various edible vegetable oils used in frying food,” USDA said. The standard does not apply to “edible oil products, such as edible hydrogenated oil, margarine, shortening, cocoa butter substitute, whipped cream, and powdered oil,” USDA said. The standard includes certain requirements for the physical and chemical makeups of the oils.

Indonesia and Australia signed a trade agreement that provides tariff benefits for Australia and eases restrictions on import licenses on certain agricultural products, according to a notice from Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The agreement, called the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, provides Australia with lowered tariffs and “import license advantages” on “live cattle, frozen beef, sheep meat, feed grains, citrus products, carrots, and potatoes,” according to a March 8 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a report reminding U.S. exporters that Hong Kong’s policy regarding bans of U.S. poultry and eggs that may have been subject to an avian influenza outbreak defines the effective date as the date of departure from the U.S. The practice ensures U.S. poultry products on their way to Hong Kong can access the Chinese market when an outbreak occurs, even if the goods were produced during the avian influenza “incubation period.” Products produced before the incubation period will be accepted from the “affected country,” as long as they were shipped before the ban took effect, USDA said. “However, once the ban is imposed,” the report said, “products originating from or processed in the AI infected county well before the AI incubation period are not allowed entry to Hong Kong.”

Pakistan is changing regulations surrounding food labels, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a March 7 report. The regulatory order, which was issued by Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce and took effect Feb. 19, requires label information to include “a minimum 66% shelf life at the time of clearance of goods” and “labeling of nutritional values and usage instructions in Urdu and English,” according to the report. The new regulations also requires “the Halal Certificate issuing authority to be a member of either IHAF [International Halal Accreditation Forum] or SMIIC [Standards and Metrology Institute for the Islamic Countries].”