ATLANTA -- The new agricultural security criteria within the updated Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) Minimum Security Criteria "is probably the most controversial," said Liz Schmelzinger, CTPAT director at CBP, during a panel discussion at the CBP 2018 Trade Symposium on Aug. 15. "I was told 'slugs are not terrorists,'" she said. Having cargo stopped due to agricultural issues is very expensive and time-consuming, she said. CBP recently began circulating proposed MSC updates to CTPAT members through the CTPAT portal (see 1807300011).
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CBP posted updated Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism Minimum Security Criteria to the CTPAT portal and is seeking comments from CTPAT members, CBP said in a document posted ahead of the Aug. 1 Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) meeting. "In late July, CTPAT Members received an email from the program outlining the key elements of the socialization strategy -- including the development of Workbooks for each of the entities eligible for CTPAT membership which have been uploaded to the CTPAT Portal; the delivery of live webinars; and an agenda outlining a series of workshops that are being delivered throughout the United States by CTPAT field personnel," CBP said.
CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan highlighted some planned additional benefits to participation in the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program, in prepared remarks for the July 18 Senate Finance International Trade Subcommittee hearing on U.S. ports and trade. The ongoing transitioning of the Importer Self-Assessment program into CTPAT Trade Compliance "includes the extensive development of new benefits," he said. CBP has a loose deadline of the end of 2018 for transitioning ISA participants into CTPAT (see 1709070010), and a phased rollout of new CTPAT standards is expected to begin in October (see 1806070058).
The Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) for CBP will next meet Aug. 1 by webinar, CBP said in a notice.
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BALTIMORE -- More than 15 years after CBP implemented the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) program, it's time to raise the standards for supply chain security, said Liz Schmelzinger, CTPAT director at CBP. "CTPAT is 17 years old now," she said, and "really not as effective as it used to be." Most pressing is the need for companies to examine cybersecurity aspects of the supply chain, she said, as the risk of data breaches and cyberattacks continues to grow.
Holland & Knight added Seth Stodder, a former Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary for border, immigration and trade policy, to the international trade practice, the firm said in a news release. Most recently, Stodder was CEO of consultancy Palindrome Strategies. Stodder also was head of policy at CBP during the Bush administration and helped develop the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program, the law firm said.
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. -- CBP is considering offering trusted trader benefits to those in the e-commerce world as a way to improve compliance, said John Leonard, executive director-trade policy and programs at CBP, during a May 2 panel discussion at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America's annual conference. The hope is to "incentivize all these new actors in this space to improve the platforms and marketplaces, etc., to be more compliant," he said. "Part of that could involve the Trusted Trader program" and the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program, he said. CBP "is looking at this very closely."
CBP compiled its mitigation guidelines for penalties related to advance electronic cargo information requirements in a new document. The new document largely follows information released by the agency in 2005 and amended in 2011. "The failure of an arriving carrier (vessel, air or rail) to be automated in the Automated Manifest System ('AMS') at all ports of entry in the United States, or the failure of an arriving carrier (vessel, air or rail) or of any authorized electronic transmitter to provide the required advance electronic cargo information in the time period and manner prescribed by [CBP] regulations may result in the delay or denial of a vessel carrier’s preliminary entry-permit/special license to unlade, an air carrier’s landing rights, a train carrier’s permission to proceed, and/or the assessment of any other applicable statutory penalty," CBP said.