The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes Aug. 20 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.
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the Commerce Department posted to CBP's website Aug. 20, 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 http://adcvd.cbp.dhs.gov/adcvdweb.
A federal judge in Philadelphia dismissed on Aug. 15 a lawsuit brought by OHL against a group of former employees that left to form their own competing customs brokerage named 721 Logistics. OHL alleged the exodus of its employees was arranged by a former executive to paralyze the company's perishables business at the height of the season. It also said 721 Logistics, operating under the J&K Fresh East name, illegally used a proprietary list to target OHL customers. But the Eastern Pennsylvania U.S. District Court judge ruled that the client list was publicly available information and that the OHL employees were hired because of their expertise, not to intentionally hurt the company.
The International Trade Commission published notices in the Aug. 20 Federal Register on the following AD/CV injury, Section 337 patent, and other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will be in another ITT article):
The Commerce Department published notices in the Aug. 20 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):
No new requests for scope rulings were filed with the Commerce Department during the week of Aug. 12-17.
The Commerce Department is postponing until Oct. 24 the due date for its preliminary determination in the antidumping duty investigation on sugar from Mexico (A-201-845). The American Sugar Coalition, which originally requested the investigation, asked Commerce for the extension. Once Commerce makes its preliminary determination, it can suspend liquidation and require cash deposits of estimated AD duties. The preliminary determination was originally due Sept. 4.
The Commerce Department issued the preliminary results of its antidumping duty administrative review on purified carboxymethylcellulose from the Netherlands (A-421-811). The agency preliminarily calculated a zero percent AD rate for Akzo Nobel Functional Chemicals, B.V. If the agency's finding is continued in the final results, importers of subject merchandise from Akzo Nobel entered between July 2012 and June 2013 will not be assessed AD duties, and future entries from Akzo Nobel will not be subject to an AD cash deposit requirement until further notice.
The Commerce Department issued the preliminary results of its antidumping duty administrative review on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film, sheet and strip from Taiwan (A-583-837). The agency calculated a preliminary AD rate for one company, Nan Ya Plastics Corporation. In this review, Commerce will set assessments of AD duties on subject merchandise entered between July 2012 and June 2013.
Telescoping boat cover poles, fishing rod holders, and fishing rod racks imported by TACO Metals are not subject to antidumping and countervailing duties on aluminum extrusions from China (A-570-967/C-570-968), said the Commerce Department in a scope ruling issued Aug. 18. All three are imported in final form and comprise both aluminum extrusions and parts made of other materials, so they qualify for the “finished goods” and “finished goods kits” exemptions, said Commerce.