On July 26 the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:
The Food Safety and Inspection Service revised export requirements and plant lists for the following countries for July 20-27:
The Agricultural Marketing Service issued a correction to its June 6 final rule amending the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances for the 2012 sunset review. As published, the modification to the introductory text for the listing for colors at 7 CFR 205.606(d) inadvertently removed paragraphs (d)(1) through (d)(19). These paragraphs are necessary to identify the specific nonorganic colors that can be used as ingredients in processed products labeled as “organic” if organic forms are not commercially available, AMS said. AMS corrected the final regulations by reinserting paragraphs (d)(1) through (19).
The International Trade Administration is asking for applications for recognition by Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to act as an Accountability Agent for U.S.-based companies that are subject to Federal Trade Commission jurisdiction as part of APEC’s Cross Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) system. The CBPR Accountability Agents are third-party organizations that provide verification services related to the data privacy policies and practices for those businesses seeking CBPR certification. A recognized Accountability Agent would only be able to certify as CBPR compliant those organizations that are subject to the enforcement authority of the Cross-border Privacy Enforcement Arrangement-participating privacy enforcement authorities within the economies in which it has been approved to operate. There is no deadline for applications.
Acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank said the U.S. will participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s (APEC) Cross Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) system. This voluntary system promotes a baseline set of data privacy practices for companies doing business in participating APEC economies. The goal of the system is to enhance electronic commerce, facilitate trade and economic growth, and strengthen consumer privacy protections across the Asia Pacific region, Commerce said.
The International Trade Administration’s proposed increase of more than 100% for user fees for trade promotion services would be “a very difficult hurdle for small and medium enterprises,” said Gene Eckhart, senior director-international operations at the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), in a public comment regarding the ITA’s June 13 proposed rule.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement returned 11 stolen and looted cultural artifacts, including 10 Nok statues and one carved tusk, to the government of Nigeria. The items were seized by ICE special agents and CBP officers after the importers surrendered them. ICE cooperated with French authorities in the investigation. The artifacts were imported as “personal effects.”
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the International Trade Administration posted to CBP's website as of July 26, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching on the listed CBP message number at http://addcvd.cbp.gov. (CBP occasionally adds backdated messages without otherwise indicating which message was added. ITT will include a message date in parentheses in such cases.)
Mexico's Diario Oficial of July 25, lists notices from the Secretary of the Economy as follows:
The World Trade Organization announced that it has updated its 2011 exports and imports data for world merchandise trade and for trade in commercial services in the WTO’s Statistics Database. For an overview of the key figures, see the latest issue of the WTO’s statistical newsletter StatTALhere. The WTO statistics database is available here.