Senate DHS Funding Bill Orders Shrimp Pilot, Reports on STBs, Honey
The fiscal 2017 Homeland Security spending legislation approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee on May 26 would establish a two-year pilot to bolster port of entry tracking of shrimp imports, require CBP to report on the number and amount of outstanding single-transaction bonds, and direct CBP to consider develop its own honey testing capacity, according to the bill’s committee report (here). The bill, which would increase CBP's current $11.057 billion funding level by $125 million in fiscal 2017, instructed CBP to work with the Food and Drug Administration for the shrimp pilot. The agencies should use a "risk based analysis" of data on inspections and audits of imported shrimp, "including countries, ports, and import volumes" and possible information sharing enhancements related to shrimp, it said. Those agencies should also look at possible ways to prevent "shrimp import rejections at one U.S. port being entered at another U.S. port, including data tracking to reduce chances for “successful port shopping,” it said.
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The legislation would direct CBP to brief Senate appropriators on the preliminary results no later than 180 days after its enactment, including on opportunities for collaboration between CBP and FDA on improvement of the safety of shrimp imports. The committee would also like CBP to brief senators on potential enhancements to targeting, “as importers or countries targeted by FDA for a higher inspection rate due to food safety concerns should likely be target for a higher rate of inspection by CBP.” Senate appropriators included a similar provision in fiscal 2017 agriculture spending legislation (see 1605190065). Appropriators also direct CBP within 30 days of bill enactment to report on the total number and face value of single-transaction bonds that secure the payment of antidumping duties for 4,548 open invoices. CBP didn't comment.
Currently, CBP contracts with labs to test honey imports to detect transshipment and adulteration. Senate appropriators want CBP to brief them within 90 days of legislation enactment on the possibility for the agency to develop its own testing mechanism. “At present, German labs are the forensic authority on this issue and can make necessary determinations,” the committee report says. “The Committee directs CBP to evaluate the benefits and costs of developing its own capacity to test honey compared to contracting with labs to combat unfair and adulterated honey imports.”