The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced new guidelines the agency will use to conduct plant health risk assessments for fruit and vegetable imports. According to APHIS, the new guidelines are needed to incorporate advancements in pest risk assessment methods, provide clearer and more transparent analyses, and streamline the market access analysis process. The guidelines will be available for viewing here.
The Foreign Trade Zones Board posted presentations on grantee responsibilities and best practices, and zone schedules and public utility, on the grantee section of its website. The presentation on responsibilities and best practices is available here, and the presentation on zone schedules is available here.
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the International Trade Administration posted to CBP's website March 4, 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 International Trade Administration published notices in the March 4 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):
The International Trade Administration said it reached a settlement with a Mexican company on several cases under review by NAFTA panels related to the ITA's antidumping duty order on stainless steel sheet and strip in coils from Mexico (A-201-822). The settlement with ThyssenKrupp Mexinox S.A. de C.V. and Mexinox USA, Inc. resolves challenges to the ITA’s 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, and 2008-09 administrative reviews of the AD duty order. Per the terms of the settlement, Mexinox’ entries of subject merchandise during the 2004-05 period of review will be liquidated without regard to AD duties, and entries for the following review periods will be liquidated at the cash deposit rate in effect at the time of entry.
The International Trade Administration issued the preliminary results of its antidumping duty new shipper review on new pneumatic off-the-road tires from China (A-570-912), which lists a proposed estimated cash deposit rate of zero for subject merchandise exported by Trelleborg Wheel Systems (Xingtai) China Co. and imported by its U.S. affiliate Trelleborg Wheel Systems Americas.
The Food and Drug Administration debarred Adrian Vela from importing food or offering food for importation into the U.S. for five years. Vela was convicted in November 2011 in Southern Florida District Court for conspiracy to falsely label and misbrand food, one count of false labeling of seafood under the Lacey Act, and one count of misbranding food, FDA said. In 2008 and 2009, Vela imported shrimp from Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, but directed a Tampa facility to repack and relabel the shrimp as a product of Panama in order to make it more readily marketable. The relabeled shrimp were then sold to a wholesaler in Keene, N.H., which in turn sold the shrimp to a supermarket chain headquartered in Landover, Md., FDA said (presumably the mid-Atlantic chain Giant Foods).
On March 1 the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes March 1 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 Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for March 4: