CBP Administrative Messages, Electronic Bulletin Board Notices, Etc
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a press release stating that on May 11, 2004, the first class of CBP agriculture specialists began formal training at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Professional Development Center. The CBP agriculture specialist is one of two new position classifications (the other being the CBP officer) that were created in order to balance CBP's primary anti-terrorism mission with its more traditional missions. (CBP Press Release, dated 05/11/04, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/press_releases/05112004.xml)
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1. CBP's First Class of Agriculture Specialists Begin Training
2. CBP Issues 180 Day Special Import Quota for Upland Cotton
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site a notice announcing a "special import quota" which specifies a quota of 25,904,653 kg for upland cotton purchased not later than August 17, 2004 and entered under HTS 9903.52.11. The quota period is May 20, 2004 through November 15, 2004; opening day is May 20, 2004 at 12 noon, E.S.T., or its equivalent in other time zones.
According to this notice, the use of the "special import quota" is at the importer's option, and is not subject to the tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) described in Chapter 99 Subchapter VI, U.S. Note 25 or in Chapter 52 Additional U.S. Notes (AUSNs) 5 through 10. CBP has previously stated that these 180-day quotas are established pursuant to a 1991 Presidential Proclamation, are "triggered" by high C.I.F. Northern Europe cotton prices, and are provided for in HTS Chapter 99, Subchapter III, U.S. Note 6.
(See CBP notice for special instructions concerning the requirement for an original foreign government certification and a certification by the importer. QBT-04-516, dated 05/14/04, available at http://www.cbp.gov/ImageCache/cgov/content/import/textiles/qbt/qbt2004/2004_5f516_2edoc/v1/2004_5f516.doc)
3. Weekly Quota Commodity Report as of May 17, 2004
CBP has issued its weekly quota commodity report as of May 17, 2004. 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, and UCFTA TRQs, etc. This report also includes the AGOA, ATPDEA, CBTPA, NAFTA, SFTA, and UCFTA tariff preference levels (TPLs) for qualifying apparel and/or other textile articles, the TRQs on worsted wool fabrics under HTS 9902.51.11 & 9902.51.12, etc. (CBP's weekly quota commodity report dated 05/17/04, available at http://www.customs.ustreas.gov/xp/cgov/import/textiles_and quota/commodity/)