The Food and Drug Administration now hopes to begin its Voluntary Qualified Importer Program in 2017, according to an agency spokeswoman. The trusted trader program for food importers is held up until FDA creates its system of third-party accreditation bodies, because a condition of VQIP participation will be importing from foreign facilities that have been certified under the third-party accreditation system, she said. FDA is under court order to publish its final rule on third-party accreditation by Oct. 31, 2015 (see 14022124).
A new Consumer Product Safety Commission trusted trader program could be in the offing as the agency moves cautiously toward electronic filing of certificates of compliance, said CPSC Commissioner Joseph Mohorovic during a March 19 meeting with the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America. However, any CPSC trusted trader program must overcome the familiar hurdle of providing enough benefits to importers, said NCBFAA representatives at the meeting.
Indonesia recently began an Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) program, said the World Customs Organization (here). Such programs, which are similar to the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program in the U.S., allow for mutual recognition with outside governments, said WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya at the March 17 certification ceremony.
CBP is requesting comments by May 8 on information collections for applications to the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program and the new Trusted Trader program. CBP proposes (here) to revise the information collection to include requirements for the Trusted Trader program, it said.
A Department of Homeland Security funding lapse will not stop "front line cargo operations" and import and entry specialists will continue to review entries during that time, said CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske. Kerlikowske discussed the looming shutdown, a result of a fight over DHS funding in congress, with members of the trade industry and reporters in a Feb. 26 call. Despite going without a paycheck during the shutdown, CBP personnel will also be available to answer questions for importers and brokers, he said. DHS funding will stop Feb. 28 unless congress allocates more funding before then.
CBP posted information (here) on the agency's Trusted Trader pilot program that combines the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism supply chain security program with the Importer Self Assessment (ISA) import compliance program (see 14101019). The agency also posted a Trusted Trader applicant questionnaire (here), which CBP will request comment on in a coming notice, it said.
CBP will eventually test a "global element" of the Trusted Trader program, the agency said in a Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of Customs and Border Protection document (here). The expansion "will include mutually agreed upon trade compliance criteria and reciprocating benefits between participating countries," it said. CBP is testing a new Trusted Trader program that combines the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism supply chain security program with the Importer Self Assessment (ISA) import compliance program (see 14101019). The agency has said it was considering aligning the program with Canada and Mexico (see 1412050024).
CBP and other agencies tested the procedures for resuming cargo operations at the Port of Savannah following a disaster, CBP said in a press release (here). "This exercise included 30 representatives from CBP, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Chatham, Ga., Emergency Management Agency, Georgia Ports Authority, and the Independent Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association of Savannah," said the agency. The Jan. 21 test also looked at the resumption procedures for expedited Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism cargo release, it said.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Feb. 2-6 in case they were missed.
Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program participants should be aware of an increased use of Global Positioning System jamming devices, said CBP in an alert (here). "GPS jamming devices pose a serious risk to conveyance security, as the integrity of a shipment may be compromised without the knowledge of the importer or the transportation company," said CBP. While most often used for cargo theft," the ability of a jammer to conceal the location of a shipment demonstrates that these items may be used to carry out any number of illicit activities including the smuggling of illegal drugs, weapons, stowaways, or other contraband," said CBP. CBP also warned C-TPAT members of the risks to the supply chain related to cybersecurity (here). The agency advised C-TPAT members to develop a cybersecurity risk management plan and to consult a National Institute of Standards and Technology draft on supply chain risk management (here).