On Feb. 11 the Food and Drug Administration posted new and revised versions of the following Import Alerts on the detention without physical examination of:
During the week of Feb. 4-10, the Food and Drug Administration modified the following existing Import Alerts (not otherwise listed on the FDA's new and revised import alerts page) on the detention without physical examination and/or surveillance of:
The Food and Drug Administration posted an online training module for foreign aquaculture producers to help them comply with FDA seafood import regulations. The module is hosted by the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the University of Maryland, which also provides certificates upon completion. The training course is designed to clarify how FDA regulates drugs for aquaculture, and provides information to help identify what drugs may be used and how they should be used to prevent unacceptable residues. The course also includes a section on the judicious use of antimicrobials. The module is available here.
On Feb. 11 the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes Feb. 11 to 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 Agricultural Marketing Service is proposing changes to importer membership requirements for the Watermelon Research and Promotion Plan in an attempt to add more importer representation. The proposed rule would remove the requirement that an importer import more than 50 percent of the total volume handled and imported in order to qualify as an importer member. Comments are due by March 15.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service PPQ’s Plant Inspection Station in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is closing effective immediately. San Juan importers must hire a PPQ-approved fumigation company to conduct required treatments in the future, APHIS said. The San Juan Plant Inspection Station can provide importers with a list of approved fumigation companies.
The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for Feb. 12:
The Bureau of Industry and Security added Connor Hayden Kraegel of Poolesville, Md., to the Denied Persons List. Kraegel was sentenced to 15 months in prison in April 2011 for stealing firearms (here). Press reports indicate the man allegedly sold some stolen military equipment overseas without the required authorizations.
The Court of International Trade accepted the remand redetermination of the 2008-09 antidumping duty administrative review of polyethylene retail carrier bags from Thailand (A-549-821), finding the International Trade Administration’s explanation of zeroing to be adequate, and a shift in how it applied the “transactions disregarded” rule for calculation of constructed value to be reasonable. Thai Bags Plastic Industries’ AD rate rose to 21.29 percent (from 2015 percent) as a result. CIT had remanded the final results in June.