During the week of Jan. 28 - Feb. 3, 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:
On Feb. 4 the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes Feb. 4 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 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is proposing to allow imports of several citrus fruits from Uruguay, subject to certain conditions. The proposed rule would allow imports of sweet oranges (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck), lemons (C. limon (L.) Burm. f.), four types of mandarins (C. reticulata Blanco, C. clementina Hort. ex Tanaka, C. deliciosa Ten., and C. unshiu Marcow), citrus hybrids, and two types of citrus-related fruits (Fortunella. japonica (Thunb.) Swingle, and F. margarita (Lour.) Swingle). The fruit would have to be produced in accordance with a systems approach, including requirements for importation in commercial consignments, pest monitoring and pest control practices, orchard sanitation, and treatment. It would also have to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate from Uruguay’s national plant protection organization.
The Agricultural Marketing Service is proposing to make changes to the National Organic Program’s List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances related to the use of synthetic and nonorganic substances allowed for use in production of organic food production. Proposed amendments would affect the use of peracetic acid, potassium hydroxide and silicon dioxide in organic foods, and would remove nonorganic annatto extract color from the list of nonorganic substances allowed in organic processed products. Comments on the proposed rule are due by March 7.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service posted a compliance guide to its website to help importers and domestic establishments comply with its new policy on entry into commerce for products with test results pending. Beginning Feb. 8, FSIS will not allow meat and poultry products, including imported products, to enter into U.S. commerce until all test results have been received by FSIS. Importers will be able to move products away from the border pending test results as long as the product moves under company seal and does not enter into U.S. commerce. The compliance guide explains which products and FSIS sampling and testing programs are subject to this policy, how importers can meet the new requirements, and how importers can determine the amount of product to hold or control.
The Foreign Agricultural Service is asking for comments on potential changes to its dairy tariff-rate quota licensing regime. The agency is considering changing dairy TRQ provisions on license issuance procedures, historical licenses, license fee assessments, and reallocations. Comments are due by April 8.
The International Trade Administration is asking U.S. vendors capable of exporting goods or services relevant to the Next Generation Air Transportation System and that are interested in participating in the NextGen Solutions Vendors Guide to identify themselves by March 29. The NextGen system meets the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Aviation System Block Upgrade (ASBU) initiative, the ITA said, and addresses the ICAO ASBU-designated performance improvement areas of: (a) airport operations, (b) globally interoperable systems and data, (c) optimum capacity and flexible flights, and (d) efficient flight paths. The NextGen guide will highlight the U.S. producers and suppliers who indicate that they have products that can be used to implement one or more NextGen solutions.
The State Department is adding 22 people to, and removing one person from, its Debarred List because of their convictions for Arms Export Control Act violations. All 22 people are now prohibited from participating directly or indirectly in the export of defense articles, including technical data, or in the furnishing of defense services for which a license or other approval is required. The additions to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations Debarred List are as follows:
The Court of International Trade dismissed an action by Wuxi Seamless Oil Pipe to force the International Trade Administration to rescind the 2011 countervailing duty administrative review of oil country tubular goods from China (C-570-) for the company. Wuxi originally requested the review of itself, but later withdrew its request. The withdrawal of the request, however, came after the deadline for withdrawals, and the ITA rejected Wuxi’s request to extend the deadline. According to Wuxi, the ITA is illegally applying a new standard for extensions to the withdrawal period without requesting comments to the regulatory change: While the 19 CFR 351.213(d) provides for extensions when “reasonable to do so,” the ITA in the administrative review at issue said Wuxi needed to show “extraordinary circumstances.” Rather than confront that issue, however, the court said Wuxi’s challenge was premature. CIT found the residual Section 1581(i) jurisdiction under which Wuxi filed the challenge doesn’t apply, because the company didn’t show a challenge on 1581(c) grounds following completion of the review to be inadequate, and dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.