On Aug. 16 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 a powerpoint presentation on its recently-proposed rules on the Foreign Supplier Verification Program and accreditation of third-party auditors. The two rules were proposed July 29 (see 13072623 and 13072628). Comments on each are due by Nov. 26.
On Aug. 16, the Foreign Agricultural Service posted the following GAIN reports:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is updating language on two permits to clarify Lacey Act declaration requirements for plant and timber importers. The agency is adding permit condition language to PPQ Form 585 (Permit to Import Timber or Timber Products) and PPQ Form 621 (Protected Plant Permit to Engage in the Business of Importing, Exporting or Re-exporting Terrestrial Plants or Plant Products that are Protected). The forms will now include information about the requirement to submit a Lacey Act Plant and Plant Product Declaration (PPQ Form 505) when importing applicable commodities into the U.S., APHIS said. A list of commodities that currently require a Lacey Act declaration is (here).
The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for Aug. 19:
The Commerce Department’s Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness will meet Sept. 11 at 9 a.m. EDT in Washington, D.C. At the meeting, committee members will discuss competitiveness-related topics raised at the previous Committee meetings, including trade and competitiveness; freight movement and policy; information technology and data requirements; regulatory issues; and finance and infrastructure, Commerce said. The Office of Service Industries will post the final agenda one week before the meeting (here). The meeting will be open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Court of International Trade ruled Aug. 16 that Springs Creative Product Group’s (SCPG) “Make-it-Yourself No-Sew Fleece Throw Kits” are properly classified as toys in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, and not as its constituent fabric as CBP had argued. The throw kits are mainly intended for fun, and their eventual use as blankets is secondary, the court said. Significantly, the throw kits sell for a substantial price premium over finished throws.
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the Commerce Department posted to CBP's website Aug. 16, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching for the listed CBP message number at 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.)
The Food and Drug Administration will soon begin its secure supply chain pilot program for pharmaceuticals, it said in a Federal Register notice set for publication Aug. 20. The pilot, originally announced in 2009 (see 09011620), will allow expedited entry for finished drug products and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) from participating importers. FDA said it will accept applications beginning Sept. 16 until Dec. 31, and will begin the pilot in February 2014. The agency intends to run the pilot for two years, until February 2016, it said.
The International Trade Commission is publishing a notice in the Aug. 16 Federal Register on the following AD/CV injury, Section 337 patent, and other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will appear in another ITT article):