Australia is putting in place “strengthened” seasonal measures to prevent the introduction of brown marmorated stink bug into the country, the Australian Department of Agriculture said on its website. Certain goods from 33 countries, including the U.S., Canada, Japan and countries throughout Europe, will require treatment while the measures in effect, and roll-on, roll-off vessels that berth, load or transship in those 33 countries will face inspection requirements, Australia said. The seasonal measures will apply for goods shipped from Sept. 1, 2019, that arrive in Australian territory by May 31, 2020.
CHICAGO -- CBP plans to present its 21st Century Customs Framework to senior leadership for approval in August and introduce policy changes within the next year, a CBP official said at the agency’s Trade Symposium on July 23. CBP is finalizing a “fairly detailed roadmap” for the framework and expects it to make “measurable, fundamental changes,” Brandon Lord, CBP’s deputy executive director for trade, policy and programs, said during the conference. Since the agency announced the framework with a request for public comments in December (see 1812200003), Lord said CBP has tried to pinpoint “substantive changes” the agency can make through policy updates. CBP has focused on three issues from the public comments, he said: “streamlining the entry process,” “seamless information sharing” and creating a “robust framework for the e-commerce environment.”
CHICAGO -- CBP would like additional authority under the Enforce and Protect Act to go after duty evasion efforts that don't involve antidumping or countervailing duty orders, CBP Executive Assistant Commissioner for International Trade Brenda Smith said on July 23. Smith and EAC Todd Owen with the Office of Field Operations discussed enforcement efforts during a meeting with reporters at the CBP Trade Symposium. "Remedy evasion is the same as EAPA," which "is the same as antidumping evasion, is the same as misclassification, undervaluation and transshipment," Smith said.
Equifax will pay between $575 million and $700 million to settle claims for its 2017 data breach (see 1803010033), the FTC announced Monday in a joint settlement with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and 50 states and territories. Equifax failed to secure massive amounts of personal data with basic safeguards, the FTC alleged in its complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Data included names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and physical addresses, exposing some 147 million consumers to identity theft and fraud risks, the agency said.
Equifax will pay between $575 million and $700 million to settle claims for its 2017 data breach (see 1803010033), the FTC announced Monday in a joint settlement with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and 50 states and territories. Equifax failed to secure massive amounts of personal data with basic safeguards, the FTC alleged in its complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Data included names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and physical addresses, exposing some 147 million consumers to identity theft and fraud risks, the agency said.
The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America is endorsing a bipartisan bill that would authorize the hiring of an additional 240 agricultural inspectors at CBP in each of the next three years. The bill was introduced July 11 by Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.
CBP will begin testing advance data collections for low-value entries that may be eligible for Section 321 exemptions, the agency said in a notice. "Participants will electronically transmit certain data elements pertaining to these shipments to CBP in advance of arrival," CBP said. "CBP is conducting this test to determine the feasibility of requiring advance data from different types of parties and requiring additional data that is generally not required under current regulations in order to effectively identify and target high-risk shipments in the ecommerce environment."
The World Customs Organization issued the following release on commercial trade and related matters:
Vietnam is increasing enforcement on customs brokers who commit violations due to the “many” recent violations, according to a July 16 report from Customs News, the country’s customs’ mouthpiece. The announcement came from the director of the Ha Noi Customs Department, who urged the country’s department of customs and Ministry of Finance to “promptly issue decisions to terminate operation for offending Customs brokers” and “improve the legal system to effectively manage these brokers,” the report said. Violations included “not reporting as required and using digital signatures for incorrect purposes,” Director Duong Phu Dong said, according to the report.
Non-brokers can now declare goods with the Philippines Bureau of Customs, according to a July 16 report from the Manila Bulletin, a Filipino newspaper. Before being able to declare goods, non-brokers must first file an application to obtain a Certificate of Accreditation from Philippines Customs, which is valid for one year, the report said. After the non-broker is accredited, he is “responsible for the accuracy of the goods declaration and for the payment of duties, taxes and other charges of the imported goods,” the report said, referencing a statement released by the Philippines. The non-brokers are also liable for violations under the Philippines' Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, the report said.