On May 2, the FDA posted new and revised versions of the following Import Alerts on the detention without physical examination of:
The FDA on May 2 released a final rule amending its produce safety regulations to revise requirements for agricultural water. “The final rule replaces certain pre-harvest agricultural water requirements for covered produce (other than sprouts) in the 2015 produce safety rule with requirements for systems-based agricultural water assessments to determine and guide appropriate measures to minimize potential risks associated with pre-harvest agricultural water,” the agency said in a constituent update. Effective dates range from 9 months to 33 months, depending on business size. “The rule does not alter existing requirements for agricultural water for sprouts, for which compliance dates have passed,” the FDA said.
USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation announced May 2 that Special Import Quota #3 for upland cotton will be established May 9, allowing importation of 7,680,747 kilograms (35,277 bales) of upland cotton, up from 6,902,347 kilograms (31,702 bales) in the previous quota period. The quota will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Aug. 6, 2024, and entered into the U.S. by Nov. 4, 2024. The quota is equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the January 2024 through March 2024 period, the most recent three months for which data is available.
The Agricultural Marketing Service set its 2024-2025 fees for voluntary grading, inspection, certification, auditing and laboratory services for meat and poultry, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, cotton and tobacco, in a notice released May 3. Covered programs include cotton classification under cotton futures legislation (7 CFR 27); cotton classing, testing and standards (7 CFR 28); grading and inspection for approved plants and standards for grades of dairy products (7 CFR 58); inspection, certification and standards for fresh fruits, vegetables and other products (7 CFR 51); processed fruits and vegetables (7 CFR 52); meats, prepared meats and meat products (7 CFR 54); livestock, meat and other agricultural commodities (7 CFR 62); agricultural and vegetable seeds (7 CFR 75); grading of shell eggs (7 CFR 56); grading of poultry and rabbit products (7 CFR 70); services and general information (7 CFR 91); and tobacco inspection (7 CFR 29). Effective dates of fee changes range from July 1 to Jan. 1, depending on the commodity.
The Foreign-Trade Zones Board issued the following notices on May 3:
Electric vehicle manufacturers in North America will get an extended phase-in on North American content rules for battery materials that are not yet practical to trace, as well as graphite and some critical minerals which, according to the Inflation Reduction Act, were supposed to preclude tax credits for car buyers next year.
A bipartisan bill that directs the Energy Department to support development and adoption of digital identification systems for batteries and components was introduced in the House this week. The adoption would be voluntary.
The Federal Maritime Commission has been encouraging carriers to have a better relationship and more transparency with shippers, FMC Chairman Daniel Maffei said during a hearing held by the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation on April 30. Maffei said that this issue stems from the lack of transparency surrounding the Red Sea-related surcharges imposed by carriers due to Houthi attacks on commercial ships (see 2401290052).
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
A listing of recent Commerce Department antidumping and countervailing duty messages posted on CBP's website May 2, 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 CBP's ADCVD Search page.