On July 19 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 posted five warning letters sent in May and June to companies in China, Italy, and Mexico, in which it threatened to place or maintain these companies’ products on detention without physical examination, and/or refuse premarket approval applications for Class III devices from these companies. The five companies include device manufacturers Foshan R. Poon Medical Products Co. , Ltd (China) (here); Dongguan Yongrong Plastic Products Co., Ltd. (China) (here), Guangdong Baihe Medical Technology Co., Ltd. (China) (here); and RI. MOS. S.R.L. (Italy) (here). The FDA also sent a warning letter to drug manufacturer Compañía Internacional de Comercio, S.A. de C.V. (Mexico) (here) in which it said its drugs would remain on import alert subject to refusal at the border until the company takes corrective action. The FDA had conducted inspections at these companies’ facilities and found their products to be adulterated.
Gills Onions, LLC of Oxnard, Calif., is initiating a voluntary recall of a single day’s production of diced and slivered red and yellow onions and diced celery and onion mix because they may be contaminated by Listeria monocytogenes, said the Food and Drug Administration. The recalled products, which are packaged under the brand "Gill's Onions," were shipped between July 2-4, 2012 directly from Gills Onions to retailers in Canada and the following U.S. states: California, Montana, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and Washington. The voluntary recall was initiated when the company was notified by FDA that a random sample of diced yellow onions taken at retail tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. As a precautionary measure, Gills Onions is recalling all products processed on the same day and on the same line as the sample that tested positive, FDA said.
On July 19 the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued emails July 19 announcing changes to some Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals. While some changes are minor, other changes may affect the admissibility of the plant products, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service revised export requirements and plant lists for the following countries for July 13-19:
The Census Bureau cancelled the Automated Export System Compliance Seminar and an AESPcLink Workshop in Virginia Beach, Va., that it had set for July 24-25, it said in AES Broadcast #2012048. Census reminded exporters that there will be another AES Compliance Seminar and AESPcLink Workshop in Newton, Mass., Aug. 1-2. At the seminar on Aug. 1, Census experts will cover the filing requirements of the Foreign Trade Regulations, Schedule B classification requirements, and provide an overview of AES. On Aug. 2, two AESPcLink Workshops will be conducted. Email documents@brokerpower.com for a copy of this message.
The Australia Group and Nuclear Suppliers Group are both performing comprehensive reviews of aspects of their export control lists, and the Wassenaar Arrangement is in the preliminary phases of such a review, said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation Vann Van Diepen in remarks at the Update 2012 Conference on Export Controls and Policy. In his remarks, Van Diepen highlighted key developments in multilateral regime export controls over the past year. Highlights include:
The Bureau of Industry and Security issued a final rule to amend the Export Administration Regulations, effective July 23, by: (1) removing United Nations Embargo (UN) controls on Rwanda; (2) removing machetes from the Commerce Control List; and (3) requiring a license to export or reexport certain items to countries subject to UN Security Council arms embargo, with a presumptive denial policy. The removal of Rwanda from UN controls implements the UN’s 2008 termination of the arms embargo against Rwanda, BIS said. BIS is removing machetes from the CCL because they were added only to address concerns with their use in Rwanda in particular.
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the International Trade Administration posted to CBP's web site as of July 19, 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.)