The Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation on Sept. 21 announced Special Import Quota #22 for upland cotton will be established on Sept. 28, allowing importation of 12,798,043 kilograms (58,780 bales) of upland cotton. It will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Dec. 26, 2017, and entered into the U.S. by March 26, 2018. The quota is equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the period May 2017 through July 2017, the most recent three months for which data is available.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service published a list of ongoing international sanitary and phytosanitary standard-setting activities of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), and the North American Plant Protection Organization (NAPPO). Comments on the standards being considered may be submitted at any time, APHIS said.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is adding Uganda and Zimbabwe to the list of regions it considers to be affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), it said in two separate notices. Temporary restrictions on importation of poultry, commercial birds, other types of birds (research, performing), ratites, any avian hatching eggs, unprocessed avian products and byproducts, and certain fresh poultry products from Uganda have been in place since Jan. 14, 2017, and for Zimbabwe since June 1, 2017, after discovery of the virus in each country, respectively, APHIS said.
The Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation on Sept. 14 announced Special Import Quota #21 for upland cotton will be established on Sept. 21, allowing importation of 12,798,043 kilograms (58,780 bales) of upland cotton. It will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Dec. 19, 2017, and entered into the U.S. by March 19, 2018. The quota is equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the period May 2017 through July 2017, the most recent three months for which data is available.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will allow imports of orchids from South Korea of the genera phalaenopsis and cymbidium, as long as they are imported in an approved growing medium, it said in a final rule. Imported Korean orchids would also be subject to growing, inspection and certification requirements. The final rule takes effect Oct. 16.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture revised the appendices to its Dairy Tariff-Rate Import Quota Licensing Regulation for the 2017 tariff-rate quota year, in a final rule that takes effect Sept. 13. USDA is making the changes to reflect the cumulative annual transfers from Appendix 1 to Appendix 2 for certain dairy product import licenses permanently surrendered by licensees or revoked by the Foreign Agricultural Service.
The Foreign Agricultural Service will charge a fee of $300 for the 2018 tariff-rate quota (TRQ) year for each license issued to a person or firm by the U.S. Department of Agriculture authorizing the importation of certain dairy articles that are subject to tariff-rate quotas set forth in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, it said. The new fee represents an increase of $50 from last year's fee of $250 for 2017 TRQ licenses (see 1608230010).
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will allow importation of fresh persimmons with calyxes from Japan into the U.S., it said in a final rule. Conditions of entry will include orchard certification, pest control and post-harvest safeguards, as well as fruit culling, traceback and sampling. APHIS is also requiring a phytosanitary certificate from the Japanese government declaring the persimmons were inspected and found free of pests. The final rule takes effect Oct. 12.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will allow importation of bone-in ovine meat from Uruguay, subject to certain conditions, it said in a final rule. Uruguay had requested the exemption from deboning requirements specifically so it could export rack of lamb to the U.S., APHIS said. The final rule takes effect Oct. 12.
The Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation on Sept. 7 announced Special Import Quota #20 for upland cotton will be established on Sept. 14, allowing importation of 12,798,043 kilograms (58,780 bales) of upland cotton, a slight increase from the 12,751,474 kilograms (58,566 bales) allowed in the last quota period. It will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Dec. 12, 2017, and entered into the U.S. by March 12, 2018. The quota is equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the period May 2017 through July 2017, the most recent three months for which data is available.