The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is amending the import regulations for horses. The amendments are intended to better align US regulations with international standards, allow more flexibility for importing, and add further safeguards to protect against the introduction of pests or diseases [...]
The National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA) has updated the list of nations identified as being involved with illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities, bycatch, and shark catch. A negative certification from the NOAA may result in fishing vessels of that nation being denied U.S. port access, and potential [...]
The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is proposing a new rule to revise the process for requesting exclusions from the duties and quantitative limitations on imports of aluminum and steel under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act. The proposed rule includes the following changes: Clarification of the criteria [...]
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued two final rules to codify the bans on inclined sleeps for infants and crib bumpers that Congress established in the Safe Sleep for Babies Act. The Act prohibits importing these products into the U.S., along with their sale, manufacture, and distribution. The [...]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is proposing to significantly increase the fees for its AQI program, which assures that cargo and passenger baggage entering the country is inspected for plant pests and potential sources of animal diseases that could affect U.S. agriculture, trade [...]
Until further notice, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is restricting the importation of animal commodities originating from or transiting Costa Rica based on the diagnosis of New World screwworm in a dog. The restrictions vary based on the animal: APHIS prohibits the [...]
The U.S. government has issued the Africa Gold Advisory, which highlights the opportunities and risks associated with the gold trade across sub-Saharan Africa, and encourages industry participants to apply and strengthen their due diligence practices to ensure that bad actors are unable to benefit from the sector, which remains essential [...]
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Agricultural Marketing Service have implemented a Final Rule strengthening the enforcement of the National Organic Program, which governs the production, handling, and sale of organic agricultural products. The Final Rule, which came into effect earlier this year and will be implemented on [...]
The Department of Agriculture has updated the quantity-based trigger levels for products that may be subject to additional import duties under the safeguard provisions of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Agriculture. The WTO Agreement on Agriculture provides that additional import duties may be imposed on imports of products [...]
The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has published a report detailing the significant impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on U.S. supply chains. The document, titled Recent Trends in U.S. Services Trade: 2023 Annual Report, includes specific discussions on retail supply chains, e-commerce, logistics, warehousing, maritime shipping, port services, trucking [...]
