The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a final rule that affirms, without change, its amended interim final rule on the registration of food facilities under the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 (Bioterrorism Act).
CBP CROSS Rulings
CBP issues binding advance rulings in connection with the importation of merchandise into the United States. They issue the rulings to give the trade community transparency of how CBP will treat a prospective import or carrier transaction. Common rulings include the tariff classification, country of origin, or free trade agreement applicability of merchandise, among other things. These rulings are available in CBP's Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) database.
CBP has issued its weekly quota commodity report as of September 26, 2005. This report includes tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) on various products such as beef, tuna, sugar, dairy products, peanuts, cotton, cocoa powder, tobacco, certain JFTA, NAFTA, SFTA, UAFTA and UCFTA TRQs, etc. This report also includes the AGOA, ATPDEA, CBTPA, NAFTA, SFTA, and UCFTA (CFTA) tariff preference levels (TPLs) for qualifying apparel and/or other textile articles, the TRQs on worsted wool fabrics, etc. (CBP's weekly quota commodity report, dated 09/26/05, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/import/textiles_and_quotas/commodity/)
On September 15, 2005, Christopher Koch, President and CEO of the World Shipping Council (WSC) addressed the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and the Singapore Shipping Association on various issues related to the topic of container security.
Washington Trade Daily reports that South Korea's Finance Minister states that South Korea is likely to pick up the pace of resolving a number of persistent trade irritants with the U.S. in advance of formal free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations next year. (WTD, dated 09/26/05, www.washingtontradedaily.com )
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) appears to have recently posted to its Web site a memorandum which provides guidance on the classification of festive articles, in light of CBP's June 2005 proposal to limit the court decision in the case of Park B. Smith, Ltd. v. U.S (Park) to the entries litigated.
The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice stating that the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Small and Minority Business (ITAC-11) will hold a meeting on October 3, 2005 in Greensboro, NC to discuss topics regarding the North Carolina Trade Policy update, small business development etc. (USTR notice, FR Pub 09/21/05, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/05-18822.pdf
In the September 14, 2005 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (CBP Bulletin) (Vol. 39, No. 38), CBP issued notices: (a) modifying one classification ruling on drawer pulls and (b) modifying one classification ruling on vehicle light housing. CBP states that it is also revoking any treatment it has previously accorded to substantially identical transactions that were contrary to its position in these notices.
September 14, 2005 CBP Bulletin Notice on Silent Electric Musical Instruments & Nylon Carrying Cases
In the September 14, 2005 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (CBP Bulletin) (Vol. 39, No. 38), CBP issued a notice proposing to revoke nine classification rulings on various silent electric musical instruments and a nylon case. CBP states that it is proposing to revoke any treatment it has previously accorded to substantially identical transactions that are contrary to its position in this notice.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has updated its set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) regarding the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's (APHIS') new wood packaging material (WPM) regulations that took effect September 16, 2005.
CBP has posted to its Web site detailed information on the 3-phase implementation plan for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's (APHIS') wood packaging material (WPM) treatment and marking regulations which take effect September 16, 2005.