The Food Safety Inspection Service's Import Permit Guide for Products with Small Amounts of Meat and Poultry, issued in April 2009, is available in the following languages, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese. The Guide details the requirement that importers of FSIS-exempt food products (e.g. dry soup mixes, bouillion cubes) that contain small amounts (less than 2%) of meat or poultry that comes from an animal disease country will not be granted a new (or renewed) APHIS import permit unless FSIS makes a determination that the meat or poultry ingredient is from an approved source.
Various U.S. government agencies are seeking comments on the following information collections for which they have requested or intend to request Office of Management and Budget approval or extension of approval (see notices for specific details):
Export.Gov is announcing that the Commerce Department will hold a conference on Measuring Services Trade Data and Information on September 14, 2010 in Washington, D.C. Discussions will cover areas for improvement and innovation in the collection and dissemination of data. Policy leaders from the Bureau of Census, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, as well as private sector innovators in the services information arena will be in attendance.
The State Department announces that its Shipping Coordinating Committee will conduct two separate open meetings on September 2 and September 10, 2010, to prepare for the upcoming sessions of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Sub-Committee on Dangerous Goods, Solid Cargoes and Containers (DSC); and of the IMO Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC), respectively.
In conjunction with the State Department's designation of Harakat-ul Jihad Islami (HUJI) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, the Treasury Department has designated HUJI's commander, Mohammad Ilyas Kashmiri, for supporting acts of terrorism and for acting for or on behalf of HUJI pursuant to Executive Order 13224, which freezes any assets Kashmiri has under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in any transactions with him.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announces meetings in Madison, WI, Atlanta, GA, and Pasco, WA, to provide an opportunity for stakeholders to offer their input on the new framework being developed for animal disease traceability. The meetings will be held on August 18, 20, and 24, 2010, respectively.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announces a phone meeting of the Unified Carrier Registration Plan Board of Directors on August 12, 2010 to continue its work in developing and implementing the Unified Carrier Registration Plan and Agreement.
The Agricultural Marketing Service announces a Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee public meeting on September 13-14, 2010. Topics of discussion will include: GAP harmonization and audit requirements, food safety updates, local farmer/education initiatives, commodity purchasing programs, and working group reports and recommendations to the full committee.
The International Trade Administration's U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service is extending the application deadline to August 13, 2010 for its Executive Green Information & Communication Technology & Energy Efficiency Trade Mission to Mexico City from September 27 -- 29, 2010.
The Department of Agriculture reports that U.S. officials are once again working to get U.S. poultry into Russia, after that country slapped new conditions onto an agreement that had been signed three weeks ago.