The International Trade Administration published notices in the March 6 Federal Register on the following AD/CV proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CV duty rates, scope, affected firms, or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):
Although the International Trade Administration and Mexican tomato growers recently finalized an agreement suspending a 1996 antidumping duty investigation of fresh tomatoes from Mexico (A-201-820), the signing didn’t occur before the ITA terminated the previous suspension agreement and officially resumed the investigation. According to a Federal Register notice set for publication March 7, the ITA began suspending liquidation and requiring cash deposits for merchandise entered on or after March 1. Cash deposits were required at the rates found in the 1996 preliminary determination, 4.16 to 188.45 percent. The effective date of the suspension agreement is March 4.
Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the following voluntary recalls March 5 (country of manufacture in parentheses):
The Environmental Protection Agency said it received petitions to approve new uses for three pesticides containing currently registered active ingredients. Products covered by the petitions include a fungicide containing the active ingredient propiconazole; an insecticide with the active ingredient spirotetramat; an herbicide containing the active ingredient clomazone; a fungicide containing the active ingredient triflumizole; and an insecticide with the active ingredient quinoxyfen. Comments on the petitions are due April 5.
The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to extend until Aug. 18 its temporary tolerances for the insecticide tetrachlorvinphos (TCVP) in several meat and poultry products. EPA said it’s taking this action on its own initiative. The temporary tolerances were established in 2008, and were renewed in 2011 until March 18, 2013. The agency said it needs more time to review information before making a final decision on tolerances for the insecticide. Comments are due March 12.
The Environmental Protection Agency set maximum tolerances for the pesticide fenpyrazamine in almond, almond hulls, pistachio, lettuce heads and leaves, caneberry, bushberry, the small fruit vine climbing subgroup (except kiwifuirt), grape juice, the low growing berry subgroup, and ginseng. The tolerances are effective March 6. Objections and requests for hearings are due May 6.
On March 6 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 is making technical amendments to its regulations on food and color additives. Changes include corrected misspellings of chemical names, a corrected table entry on the melting point of some nylon 2T resins, and amendments to several provisions to update office names and street addresses. The changes are effective March 7.
On March 5 the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:
The Food Safety and Inspection Service is giving manufacturers of non-ready-to-eat (NRTE) ground or otherwise comminuted chicken and turkey products an additional 45 days, until April 20, to reassess their Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points plans. FSIS originally ordered facilities to take another look at the plans in December, after several salmonella outbreaks tied to NRTE turkey products. The December notice also announced FSIS is expanding coverage of its Salmonella Verification Sampling Program for Raw Meat and Poultry product, which the agency now says will begin April 20. FSIS is also extending the comment period on the December notice until April 20.