No Impacts to APHIS-Regulated Cargo as Agency Moves to Digital Docs, Telework
The Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has not yet seen any impacts to cargo or inspections as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the agency said, according to an update from the National Customs Brokers…
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& Forwarders Association of America sent March 23. “At the current time we have not experienced any impacts to cargo related to changes in CBP or USDA APHIS activities,” APHIS said. As for inspections, the agency is also seeing no delays. “We have moved to mostly digital imaging to enable continued pest identification services. Plant Inspection Stations and Ports are operational. The majority of our policy office staff are in telework status and still accessible by phone and email as normal,” APHIS said. The agency has informed CBP that “USDA will accept scanned versions of phytosanitary certificates uploaded into DIS while the emergency lasts,” it said. “We understand that many brokers are having difficulty accessing offices or getting required documents from the country of origin. We will be sending this information out shortly,” APHIS said, according to the NCBFAA.