The Commerce Department is changing antidumping duty rates for three exporters of steel grating from China (A-570-947), in order to implement a Court of International Trade decision issued in April (see 14041114). The court remand affects rates assigned to Ningbo Haitian and Yantai Xinke during the original AD duty investigation completed in 2010. It also makes a change for Ningbo Jiulong, which was subject to the China-wide rate in the original investigation but will now get its own rate (although the rate itself will not change). Because no administrative reviews have since been conducted on steel grating from China, the changes also affect current AD duty cash deposit rates for these companies.
The Commerce Department issued the final results of the antidumping duty administrative review on stainless steel bar from India (A-533-810). Commerce determined the only company under review, Ambica Steels Limited, did not undersell subject merchandise during the period of review, assigning the company a zero percent AD duty rate. Subject merchandise from Ambica entered between Feb. 1, 2012 and Jan. 31, 2013 will be liquidated without any assessment of AD duties, and future entries of stainless steel bar exported by Ambica will not be subject to AD duty cash deposit requirements until further notice. The new AD duty cash deposit rate takes effect July 28.
Because of normal practices in the fencing industry, aluminum fence systems are generally not “finished goods kits” exempt from antidumping and countervailing duties on aluminum extrusions from China (A-570-967/C-570-968), said the Commerce Department in a July 22 scope ruling. Despite arguments from fence importer Dynasty Profiles that it planned to import shipments of complete fence kits, Commerce found that the company’s plans can’t overcome the fact that fences are usually shipped as their constituent parts so they can be assembled by distributors to fill individual orders.
Consumer Product Safety Commission announced on July 24 the following voluntary recalls of imported products:
On July 24 the Food and Drug Administration posted new and revised versions of the following Import Alerts on the detention without physical examination of:
The Food and Drug Administration issued its weekly Enforcement Report for July 23 that lists the status of recalls and field corrections for food, drugs, biologics, and devices. The report covers both domestic and foreign firms.
The Food and Drug Administration is reclassifying implanted blood access devices (here) and implantable transporstatic tissue retractor systems (here) as Class II devices that do not require premarket approval, in two separate final orders issued July 25. Reclassification of the former takes effect July 25, while the latter's reclassification went into effect Sept. 13, 2013. The devices had been classified in Class III, and required the filing of a premarket approval application before distribution. Although they will no longer need FDA approval, both types of devices will still be subject to certain extra "special controls". They will not be exempt from premarket notification requirements.
The Food and Drug Administration on July 24 signed a statement of intent with its regulatory counterparts in Mexico to cooperate more closely on produce safety efforts, said FDA Deputy Commissioner for Foods Michael Taylor in a blog post. The two-page document sets out a strategy to work with Mexico to identify practices to prevent contamination during the growing, harvesting, packing, holding and transportation of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as verification measures to ensure prevention is working, said Taylor. It also provides for the exchange of information between the two countries, enhanced collaboration on traceback activities, and the development of education and outreach materials to help companies comply with produce safety standards, he said.
On July 24 the Foreign Agricultural Service posted the following GAIN reports:
The Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation announced Special Import Quota #24 for upland cotton that will be established on July 31, allowing importation of 14,741,821 kilograms (67,709 bales) of upland cotton. It will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Oct. 28, and entered into the U.S. by Jan. 26. The quota is equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally-adjusted average rate for the period March through May, the most recent three months for which data are available.