The Food and Drug Administration has issued a notice announcing its plan to launch a voluntary Secure Supply Chain (SSC) pilot program that would help promote the safety of finished drug products and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) intended for human use that are manufactured outside the U.S.
CBP has issued a general notice advising the public of the quarterly Internal Revenue Service interest rates used to calculate interest on overdue accounts (underpayments) and refunds (overpayments) of customs duties. For the calendar quarter beginning January 1, 2009, the interest rates for overpayments will be 4% for corporations and 5% for non-corporations, and the interest rate for underpayments will be 5%. (See ITT's Online Archives or 12/15/08 news, 08121530, for earlier BP summary.) (FR Pub 01/12/09, available at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-344.pdf.)
CBP has issued its 2008 "year end" tariff rate quota (TRQ) and tariff preference level (TPL) commodity report (as of December 31, 2008). This report includes TRQs on various products such as beef, sugar, dairy products, peanuts, cotton, cocoa products, tobacco, certain BFTA, DR-CAFTA, Israel FTA, JFTA, MFTA, SFTA, UAFTA (AFTA) and UCFTA (Chile FTA) non-textile TRQs, etc. Each report also includes the AGOA, ATPDEA, BFTA, DR-CAFTA, CBTPA, Haitian HOPE, MFTA, NAFTA, SFTA, and UCFTA TPLs and TRQs for qualifying apparel and/or other textile articles, the TRQs on worsted wool fabrics, etc. (2008 commodity report, posted 01/05/09, available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/trade/trade_programs/textiles_and_quotas/commodity/yr_end_archived_com_status/cr081231.ctt/cr081231.pdf)
During several speeches at the end of 2008, World Customs Organization Secretary General-elect, Kunio Mikuriya, who took office January 1, 2009, outlined his positions on several key customs topics as well as priorities for upcoming WCO action.
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has posted the statement of Minister Toshihiro Nikai regarding the release of the World Trade Organization Negotiating Group on Rules Chairman's revised text on antidumping rules. (Posted 12/25/08, available at http://www.meti.go.jp/english/policy/external_economy/trade/wto/081225anti-dumping.pdf)
CBP has issued a notice on the 2009 Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) Supply Chain Security Seminar that will be held on April 1-3, 2009 in New Orleans, LA. The seminar is open to all C-TPAT certified partners. The seminar will be presented in two sessions to accommodate additional registrants. Registration will begin on Monday, January 5, 2009 at 12 noon EST through the C-TPAT Members page. (CBP notice, dated 12/22/08, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/cargo_security/ctpat/supply_chain_seminar.xml.)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued its interim final rule which will amend 19 CFR Parts 4, 12, 18, 101, 103, 113, 122, 123, 141, 143, 149, 178, and 192, effective January 26, 2009, to require Security Filing (SF) information from importers and additional information from carriers (10+2) for vessel (maritime) cargo before it is brought into the U.S.1
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted a news release entitled, "Securing America's Borders - CBP 2008 Fiscal Year in Review," which provides details on the progress CBP made securing U.S. borders in FY 2008.
The Food and Drug Administration has issued its final rule, effective May 6, 2009, on the submission to FDA of prior notice (PN) of food, including animal feed, which is imported or offered for import into the U.S.
CBP and China Customs concluded a second round of joint Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) supply chain security validation visits during the week of November 17, 2008. CBP C-TPAT Supply Chain Specialists supported China Customs officials while they conducted validations of 15 C-TPAT companies and their manufacturing facilities located in China.