CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
Comments submitted to CBP so far on the agency's plans to update an informed compliance publication with information on first sale valuation show some strong objections to the effort. Law firm Sandler Travis called for the proposed changes to be "withdrawn in their entirety," while the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) said uncertainty over documentation requirements point to a need for auditor training, not a revised ICP. Several others are expected to submit comments in coming days. The draft ICP includes a controversial list of documents the agency might request from industry to verify the use of first sale pricing (see 14071025).
CBP scheduled the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) National Conference for Aug. 26-28 in San Antonio, the agency said on its website. The conference's theme will be “C-TPAT: Partnering in Supply Chain Security and Facilitation for the 21st Century,” it said. The event will include two sessions and participants may only take part in one of the sessions, it said. Topics scheduled for discussion include business partner relationships, security breaches and internal conspiracies, validation/revalidation results, C-TPAT membership maintenance and mutual recognition. Registration for Session A on Aug. 26-27 is (here) and registration for Session B on Aug. 27-28 is (here).
Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) members should be wary of use of non-compliant wood packing material (WPM), CBP said in a notice to C-TPAT members. Sea carriers should know of recent interceptions of non-compliant WPM "used in flat rack cargo carried by ocean vessels traversing the Mediterranean," it said. C-TPAT members should make sure supply chain partners use WPM that meet the International Plant Protection Convention standard, it said.
CBP posted a list of exporter eligibility requirements for participation within the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program. The agency and industry has long discussed opening up the security program to exporters and a Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations subcommittee recently gave its approval to the eligibility requirements (here).
CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske and Israel's Tax Authority Director General Moshe Asher recently finalized a mutual recognition arrangement that allows for the two countries to consider each other's trusted trader programs -- Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) in the U.S. and Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) for Israel -- for customs purposes, said CBP. As expected (see 14061619), the signing was held at the World Customs Organization conference in Brussels, Belgium. "The arrangement provides tangible and intangible benefits to C-TPAT and Israel AEO program members to include: fewer exams when shipping cargo, a faster validation process, common standards, efficiency for Customs and business, transparency between Customs administrations, business resumption, front of the line processing, and marketability," it said.The agency announced plans for a mutual recognition in 2012 (see 12121007).
CBP provided additional guidance for industry in the event of possible port disruptions related to labor contract disputes on the west coast, in a CSMS message sent July 3 (here). The update to a guidance issued on June 24 (see 14062423) includes more details on how to handle shipments of FDA-regulated products. It also includes new information for customs brokers whose shipments have been diverted to another district where the broker is unpermitted, updates procedures for cargo diverted to another west coast port, and says part of CBP’s plan is to “provide front-of-the-line benefits and priority processing to partners in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program.”
MINNEAPOLIS -- The U.S., Mexico and Canada are edging closer to implementing a unified portal to process import and export compliance verifications, as the U.S. strives to meet a 2016 deadline on Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) completion and Canada wraps up work on its own single window, said acting CBP deputy commissioner Kevin McAleenan during June 17 remarks at the American Association of Exporters and Importers (AAEI) annual conference. Mexico has already completed work on its single window counterpart and integration among the three countries is “almost visible on the horizon,” said McAleenan.
The role of Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) membership within international trade is growing, not declining, even as other programs emerge, said Lauren Kaufer, director of the C-TPAT program at CBP, during the American Conference Institute's Import Compliance and Enforcement forum on June 13. As an example of C-TPAT's expansion, Kaufer noted CBP is planning to finish up a mutual recognition arrangement (MRA) with Israel during a World Customs Organization event at the end of the month and is hoping to finish up another MRA with Mexico by the end of the year. CBP announced work toward a MRA with Israel in 2012 (see 12121007) and with Mexico last year (see 13012215).
CBP will begin accepting applicants to its Trusted Trader program pilot on June 16, it said in a notice announcing the pilot and outlining the benefits and responsibilities associated with participation. The long-awaited pilot combines CBP’s Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) supply chain security program with its Importer Self Assessment (ISA) import compliance program. Participating importers will have to meet increased recordkeeping and reporting requirements, but will receive benefits like reduced targeting, partial release of held shipments, and the option to be exempt from Non-Intrusive Inspections.