Miscellaneous International Trade Notices
American Shipper recently reported that a few weeks before Census was expected to publish its long-awaited regulations for mandatory electronic filing of export information, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) refused to approve the regulations unless two significant changes were made in the Automated Export System (AES). The article states that first, DHS and CBP want Census to either eliminate post-departure filing in AES (Option 4) or substantially increase the requirements for accepting new companies into the program. DHS and CBP also do not want existing post-departure filers simply grandfathered into the mandatory program. Second, the article states that DHS asked Census to make a "National Interest Determination" (NID) to allow sharing of confidential export information with foreign governments. The article also states that CBP wants Census to give it a blanket "NID" to permit sharing of confidential export information with other federal agencies. (American Shipper, dated 04/06, www.americanshipper.com.)
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1. DHS and CBP's Last Minute Demands Stall Mandatory AES Rule
2. AMS Announces April 19-20 Meeting of National Organic Standards Board
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has issued a notice announcing that the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) will hold a meeting on April 19 and 20, 2006 in State College, Pennsylvania. AMS states that the meeting is open to the public. See AMS notice for detailed description of the meeting's agenda. (D/N TM-06-7, FR Pub 03/22/06, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/pdf/06-2788.pdf)
3. OFAC Issues Final Rule to Remove Certain Sanctions from CFR
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued a final rule, effective March 30, 2006, which removes from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) the Libyan Sanctions Regulations, the Angola (UNITA) Sanctions Regulations, and the Rough Diamonds (Liberia) Sanctions Regulations as a result of the termination of the national emergencies and revocations of the associated Executive Orders on which these regulations were based. (FR Pub 03/30/06, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/pdf/06-3024.pdf)
4. FDA Posts Various Food Safety Notices to its Web site
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has posted the following food-safety related notices to its Web site:
CFSAN director issues letter regarding benzene levels in soft drinks. The FDA has issued a letter from the director of its Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), in response to concerns regarding benzene levels in soft drinks. The director indicates that to date, the FDA's preliminary test results of beverages for the presence of benzene do not suggest a safety concern for consumers. (FDA letter, dated 03/21/06, available at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/dms/benzltr.html.)
List of food defense acronyms, abbreviations and definitions. The FDA's Office of Food Safety, Defense and Outreach has issued a list of food defense acronyms, abbreviations, and definitions. The list contains links to the relevant organizations cited and/or provides access to additional information related to the listed acronym, abbreviation, or definition. (Food defense acronyms, etc., dated 03/28/06, available at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/dms/fsdefs.html.)