The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is asking for comments by July 1 on its proposal to allow imports of female squash flowers from Israel into the continental U.S. As a condition of entry, the flowers would be subject to a systems approach that would include requirements for pest exclusion at the production site and fruit fly trapping and monitoring, APHIS said. They would also need to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the Israeli government.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said it will allow imports of fresh Barhi dates from Israel, effective May 2. As conditions of importation, the dates may be imported in commercial consignments only, must be treated in accordance with 7 CFR 305 for C. capitata, and must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the Israeli government.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued a final rule creating a single “controlled import permit” for authorization to import prohibited or restricted plant material for experimental, therapeutic, or developmental purposes. Effective May 31, the new permit will replace requirements for departmental permits in some cases, but APHIS-specified administrative instructions or conditions in others. The final rule adopts an October 2012 proposed rule with changes (see 11102453). According to APHIS, the new permit system “will consolidate and harmonize the conditions for obtaining authorization for the importation of otherwise prohibited or restricted plant material for scientific or certain other purposes.”
The Court of International Trade upheld a Commerce Department anti-circumvention ruling that made Vietnamese company Max Fortune’s exports subject to the antidumping duty order on tissue paper products from China (A-570-894). Max Fortune had challenged Commerce’s decision to apply adverse facts available, as well as the agency’s decision to require cash deposits instead of allowing the company to certify the origin of its exports.
The International Trade Commission released April 29 the public version of its confidential report on the economic effects of designating five new products eligible for duty-free treatment under the Generalized System of Preferences, as well as providing a competitive need limitation waiver for calcium-silicon from Brazil. Because the report is confidential, the advice ITC is providing the U.S. Trade Representative is redacted. The confidential version of the report was submitted to the USTR April 8, the ITC said. Products being considered for addition to GSP duty-free eligibility in this 2012 review are classified in the following Harmonized Tariff Schedule subheadings:
The International Trade Commission is publishing notices in the April 30 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):
The Commerce Department published notices in the April 30 Federal Register on the following AD/CV duty proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CV duty rates, scope, affected firms, or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):
The Commerce Department is giving advance notice that it and the International Trade Commission will consider revoking the antidumping and countervailing duty orders on carbon and certain alloy steel wire rod from Brazil (A-351-832 / C-351-833), Indonesia (A-560-910), Mexico (A-201-830), Moldova (A-841-805), Trinidad and Tobago (A-274-804), and Ukraine (A-823-812); the AD/CV duty orders on circular welded carbon quality steel pipe from China (A-570-910 / C-570-911); and the AD duty order on silicomanganese from Russia (A-821-817), in their automatic five-year sunset reviews scheduled to begin in June. Advance notice is given because automatic sunset reviews have short deadlines. An order will be revoked unless Commerce finds that revocation would lead to a continuation or recurrence of dumping and the ITC finds that revocation would result in continuation or recurrence of material injury to a U.S. industry. As a result, a negative determination by either Commerce or the ITC would result in the revocation of these orders.
The Commerce Department announced the opportunity to request administrative reviews by May 31 for producers and exporters subject to 27 antidumping duty orders and five countervailing duty orders with May anniversary dates.
The Commerce Department initiated administrative reviews for certain firms subject to antidumping and countervailing duty orders with March anniversary dates. The agency said it intends to issue the final results of these reviews no later than March 31, 2014.