The Agricultural Marketing Service requests comments on its plans to review the minimum quality and handling standards for domestic and imported peanuts marketed in the U.S. to determine whether they should be continued without change, amended, or rescinded to minimize the impacts on small entities. Comments are due by June 28, 2010. (D/N AMS-FV-10-0030; FV10-996-610, FR Pub 04/28/10, available at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-9833.pdf)
On April 26, 2010, APHIS updated its Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) Animal Product Manual. This Manual provides the background, procedures, and regulatory actions to enforce the regulations governing the import and export of animals, animal products, and animal by-products. (Manual, updated 04/26/10, available at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/manuals/ports/apm.shtml)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture released to Congress a comprehensive report on agricultural transportation in the U.S. The report, Study of Rural Transportation Issues, and covers the four major modes of transportation commonly used by agriculture in the United States-truck, rail, barge, and ocean vessel. (News release, dated 04/27/10, available at http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome)
On April 26, 2010, APHIS updated the Manual for Agricultural Clearance. The manual provides CBP personnel working at airport and maritime locations with the guidelines, directions, and policy for clearing carriers and passengers/crew and controlling garbage and cargo. (Manual, updated 04/26/10, available at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/manuals/ports/mac.shtml)
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has posted draft proposed rules that would designate certain children’s upper outerwear with drawstring violations and handheld hairdryers without immersion protection to be substantial product hazards under section 15 (j) of the Consumer Product Safety Act.
The Treasury Department has published its current list of countries that require or may require participation in, or cooperation with, an international boycott. The countries included on this list are:
The Census Bureau has posted to its Web site the April 2010 issue of its Automated Export System Newsletter. Highlights include:
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued a press release announcing that during an observance of World Intellectual Property Day on April 26, 2010, the federal partners of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center1 announced that more than $263 million worth of counterfeit merchandise was seized by law enforcement around the U.S. in April 2010.
In March 2010, the Office of the United States Trade Representative issued its Report on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Report) to Congress.
Broker Power is now issuing weekly summary reports highlighting the most active textile and apparel tariff preference levels1 from U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s “Quota Weekly Commodity Status Report.” BP’s weekly report also lists the TRQ commodities on CBP’s weekly “TRQ/TPL Threshold to Fill List.”