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Travelers approaching the Del Rio port of entry are advised
to declare agriculture and food products to U.S. Customs and
Border Protection officers. |
CBP
Urges Travelers to Declare All Items Acquired Outside United
States
Many Popular Grocery Items Admissible but Still Subject to
Inspection
Monday, April 26, 2010
Del
Rio, Texas
– At U.S. ports of entry, admissibility standards are in place to
avoid the introduction of plant- or animal-borne pests or diseases
from foreign countries. Items requiring inspection by CBP
agriculture specialists include: meats, fruits, vegetables, living
plant material, soil, live animals, and plant and animal products.
more...
‘GRAND BARGAIN’ FOR ADVANCE CARGO DATA
New
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin
proposed a “grand bargain” by which importers would share more
detailed information about their trade partners and shipments in
exchange for much faster clearance of their goods and guarantees
of data protection. more...
IPR Center marks World IP Day by seizing
$263 million in counterfeit goods
Federal, state and local law enforcement team up in
anti-counterfeiting sweeps around the U.S. |
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CBP, CPSC Sign Agreement to Promote Consumer
Safety
CBP Commissioner Alan Bersin and CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum have
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for CBP's Import Safety
Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center. The MOU will allow CPSC
personnel to access CBP commercial automated systems for import
safety risk assessments. more...
"Conflict Minerals" -
House Committee Votes New
Importer Requirements
With increasing frequency, Congress is seeking to solve
complex international challenges by imposing new, unrealistic
requirements on importers. In 2008, we saw the Lacey Act
certification requirements enacted as a way to combat illegal
logging. This time the issue is "conflict minerals" - where
minerals from the Congo or other mines controlled by armed groups
are sold to fund regional wars, resulting in gross violations of
human rights. more... |
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 Room
and Board
Bill
Mongelluzzo | May 3, 2010 The
Journal of Commerce Magazine
Following a rate roller-coaster ride, shippers setting up for the
peak season say securing capacity now is their top concern.
Ask
importers their top concern this year as they wrapped up service
contract negotiations with ocean carriers in the eastbound
Asia-to-U.S. trade and most will say it is a shortage of vessel
space.
Although freight rates, as always, figure heavily in the contract
negotiations, especially following the volatile swings in ocean
prices over the past two years, importers emphasized that getting
space on vessels has been what’s keeping them up at night. With
the economy rebounding and consumer demand recovering, retailers
and manufacturers say its especially critical in the coming weeks
that they have the goods in place to take full advantage.
more...
BOXSHIPS NUCLEAR POWER
Nuclear-powered deep sea containerships that would only need
re-fuelling every five years or so could eventually replace
today’s conventional oil-dependent vessels. “The day will come,”
Germanischer Lloyd’s executive board member Hermann Klein forecast
last week. “I am convinced we will see nuclear-driven container
vessels.” Such ships would require radical changes along the
entire supply chain, since offshore hubs would probably be
necessary, served by feeders to shore-based ports. Pressure on
the maritime industry to cut pollution levels will be the driving
force behind the search for ships with zero emissions, but Dr
Klein is doubtful whether ship owners will be able to meet the
targets that look likely to be imposed by 2020. Slow steaming,
which Dr Klein says is here to stay, will help to reduce
emissions, while alternative fuels such as liquefied natural gas
should also be considered. But other even more revolutionary
innovations will be necessary if shipping is to comply with
regulatory standards now being considered.
Lloyd’s List 5/4/2010 |
TRADE GOALS FACE DOUBTS
President Barack Obama's goal of doubling U.S. exports over the next
five years will be difficult to meet, business leaders and economists
say, because of the lack of momentum on demolishing trade barriers and
the shift by more American companies toward producing overseas.
American firms say stronger action by the federal government could
substantially boost prospects for U.S. exports. Christina Romer,
chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, calls the
administration's export target "an ambitious but reasonable goal," she
added. We are just starting the concrete steps in terms of what we
can do to lower the fixed costs associated with exporting through
trade promotion and commercial diplomacy." White House officials are
counting on trade and business investment to fuel the economic
recovery because American consumers aren't likely to resume their
free-spending ways of the past decade. But the shift by more U.S.
companies toward producing goods overseas is one of the factors that
makes doubling exports tougher. American businesses say they must
contend with a long list of disadvantages, from higher tax rates than
in many countries to rising costs for benefits such as health care.
U.S. producers also say an artificially low Chinese currency makes
Chinese goods especially cheap in foreign markets and therefore
tougher competitors for American goods.
The Wall
Street Journal, 4/29/2010.
New Schedule B Commodity Search
May 2010
In
order to assist exporters determine their correct export commodity
code (Schedule B number) that is needed to file electronic export
information to the Automated Export System (AES) as well as other
export documents, the Foreign Trade Division (FTD) has launched a new
on-line Schedule B search tool. The new search is available at
http://www.census.gov/scheduleb.
more...
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