List of Commodities Subject to AMS Research and Promotion Program Import Fees
Below is a current list of imported commodities that are subject to Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) research and promotion program import fees (also termed taxes or assessments). This list has been compiled from AMS source material:
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
| Honey and honey products where honey is the principal ingredient | Importers (Importers of 6,000 (2,721.6 kg) or less annually may be exempt if certain conditions are met.) | $0.01/lb ($0.0220459/kg) (See 7 CFR 1240.115 for specific HTS Chapters 4 and 21 numbers) |
| Mushrooms (fresh) | Importers of mushrooms (fresh) for marketing in the U.S.(Importers of 500,000 pounds (226,800 kg) or less per year may apply for an exemption.) | $0.0020/lb ($0.0044/kg) (See 7 CFR 1209.51 for HTS number) |
| Live porcine animals, pork, and pork products | Importers | Live porcine animals: 0.40% of customs entered value (See 7 CFR 1230.110 for specific HTS Chapter 1 numbers)Pork and pork products: fee rates range between $0.00440920/kg and $0.00661380/kg, depending on the applicable HTS Chapters 2 or 16 numbers (See 7 CFR 1230.110 for specific HTS numbers and fee rates) |
| Tablestock potatoes (fresh), frozen or processed potato products, and seed potatoes | Importers of fresh tablestock potatoes, frozen or processed potato products - all imported into the U.S. and destined for human consumption; and importers of seed potatoes imported into U.S. | Fee rates range between $0.000441/kg and $0.003969/kg, depending on the applicable HTS Chapters 7, 11, or 20 numbers (See 7 CFR 1207.510 for specific HTS numbers and fee rates, as well as conversion factors for canned potatoes, potato chips, etc.) |
| Watermelons (fresh) | Importers of watermelon, imported for consumption as human food(Importers of less than 150,000 pounds (68,040 kg) per year may apply for a refund) | $0.04 per hundredweight ($0.000882/kg) (See 7 CFR 1210.515 for HTS numbers) |
1 Certain producer/producer-packer assessments are also collected for these commodities. Also, not all exemptions are listed in the above table; consult the AMS regulations for other exemption opportunities.
2 Note that in a 2002 U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) administrative message (Adm: 02-0402), CBP listed this rate incorrectly as 0.013228 cents per kilogram (i.e, $0.00013228/kg). See ITT's Online Archives or 04/01/02 news, 02040115 for BP summary of CBP's message, which reflects this error.
Mango program approved in referendum, final rule to be published sometime in future. On January 6, 2004, AMS issued a news release stating that first handlers and importers of fresh mangos approved a national promotion program for mangos by voting in a referendum. The press release indicates that the applicable assessment would be $0.005 per pound. (See ITT's Online Archives or 10/15/03 news, 03101520, for BP summary of the procedures for the referendum, and the second proposed rule on the mango program.)
According to AMS sources, a final rule regarding a national promotion program for mangos is currently being worked on, and will be published at some point in the future.
Certain Programs Do Not Apply to Imports; Inactive Programs
According to AMS, research and promotion programs for dairy, eggs, fluid milk, lamb, peanuts, popcorn, and soybeans do not assess fees on imports.
In addition, the following research and promotion programs are inactive: canola and rapeseed, flowers and plants, fresh cut flowers and fresh cut greens, kiwifruit, limes, mohair, pecans, sheep, wheat, and wool.
(See ITT's Online Archives or 05/28/04 news, 04052899, for BP summary of AMS' extension of the comment period on its proposed rule to exempt certain organic product importers, exporters, etc. from research and promotion fees.)
AMS Research and Promotion Fee Chart (dated 04/27/04) available by email, by emailing documents@brokerpower.com ; (Note that this chart contains a units of measure error for the mushroom fee.)
AMS Research and Promotion Programs Web site available at http://www.ams.usda.gov/repromo.htm
AMS news release on mangos (No. 312-03, dated 01/06/04) available at http://www.ams.usda.gov/news/312-03.htm