The coming "Trusted Trader" pilot that will combine parts of the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) and the Importer Self Assessment programs, will give the Food and Drug Administration the ability to see the C-TPAT status for importers, said Domenic Veneziano, director of FDA Import Operations. Now, the FDA is unable to look at C-TPAT status for importers because it's a voluntary program, he said. The new access within the pilot program will give FDA another tool to consider the risks associated with imports of food and other commodities, he said. Veneziano and other government officials spoke June 12 at the Import Compliance and Enforcement forum put on by the American Conference Institute.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) were listed as the top policy issues expected to have a positive impact on the clothing business, said respondents in a U.S. Fashion Industry Association survey. TPP, GSP and TPA, which would give Congressional pre-approval to the executive branch for trade agreement negotiations, were the only issues to garner a majority of responses saying that passage or renewal would positively impact business. Other areas of trade policy, including the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and customs reauthorization legislation were largely viewed as "Hard to say/Neutral" in the survey.
CBP released its June 11 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 48, No. 23). While the Bulletin does not contain any ruling articles, it does include recent Court of International Trade decisions and general notices.
The vendor of yellow high security bolt seals for CBP had a manufacturing delay and some seals lack the agency's stamp, CBP said in a CSMS message. "This issue has been resolved and all future orders will be filled with CBP stamped seals," it said. The seals are numerically sequenced, but do not contain the word “CBP” to indicate that the seal is issued by CBP, it said. The agency sad it has alerted all field offices.
Littleton Joyce hired Thomas Grasso as of counsel in the law firm's maritime and transportation practice, it said. Grasso focuses on cargo damage and loss subrogation litigation in New York and New Jersey, the firm said.
CT Strategies, a consulting firm started by former CBP leaders Al Gina and Andrew Farrelly, hired four former government officials, it said in a press release. The company, which is part of Command Consulting Group, brought on Brett Laduzinsky, previously an adviser to the CBP Commissioner, as a director. CT Strategies also added as advisors Thomas Roland, previously Assistant Port Director at Miami International Airport, David Murphy, previously acting assistant commissioner for the CBP Office of Field Operations and Charles Bartoldus, previously senior director of Transportation and Border Security with the White House National Security Staff.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated June 9 with 105 rulings, bringing the total number of searchable rulings to 182,351. The most recent ruling is dated 06/06/14.
Monitoring devices used within refrigerated containers can be considered as an accessory of an Instrument of International Traffic (IIT), said CBP in a June 4 ruling, HQ H251366. As a result, such devices may be imported without a duty payment, said CBP. The ruling came in response to a Hapag-Lloyd request that the agency weigh in on the dutiability of the devices. The devices are used to provide the shipper with temperature information for containers.
CBP's Los Angeles field office will offer reimbursable overtime for agriculture services as of July 1, it said in a public bulletin. The bulletin includes a list of established business hours for the ports involved and contact information for agriculture reimbursable overtime requests. The bulletin notes that "if a commercial vessel requiring agriculture clearance arrives outside of hours of core agriculture coverage at the port, reimbursable overtime will be charged for the agriculture clearance." Further, "if a commercial vessel requiring an agriculture clearance arrives toward the end of core hours and the agriculture clearance extends beyond the hours of core agriculture hours at the port, then reimbursable overtime will be charged for the portion of the clearance outside of the core hours," it said.