On Sept. 26 the Foreign Agricultural Service posted the following GAIN report:
The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture removed its ban on U.S. beef exports after finishing a review of the U.S. supply system, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement (here). “We look forward to prompt engagement by the relevant authorities for further technical discussions on the specific conditions that will allow trade to resume,” he said. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in a 2013 report said China was still blocking U.S. beef shipments more than six years after they were declared safe under World Organization for Animal Health criteria (see 14010219). USDA forecasts that China will eclipse Japan as the second-largest beef importer -- after the U.S. -- with imports projected at 825,000 tons in 2016.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes Sept. 23 to Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals. While some changes are minor, other changes may affect the admissibility of the plant products, including fruits, vegetables and flowers.
The Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation announced Special Import Quota #1 for upland cotton will be established on Sept. 29, allowing importation of 13,614,466 kilograms (62,530 bales) of upland cotton (here). It will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Dec. 27 and entered into the U.S. by March 27, 2017. The quota is equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the period May through July, the most recent three months for which data are available.
On Sept. 16 the Foreign Agricultural Service posted the following GAIN reports:
The Agricultural Marketing Service is amending its regulations on voluntary grading of shell eggs to prohibit salmonella-adulterated or recalled shell eggs from being presented to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for grading and certification, it said (here). The final rule, which takes effect Sept. 16, also revises definitions to remove food safety implications from the grading scheme.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service proposing to change cold treatment requirements for grapefruits imported from Australia, it said (here). Currently, grapefruit may be imported from Australia if it was produced in fruit fly-free areas in Riverina, Riverland or Sunraysia, or if it has been subject to cold treatment to mitigate fruit fly risks. The current cold treatment, T107-d, requires refrigeration at or below 2.22° C for up to 22 days. APHIS is proposing to extend treatment schedule T107-d-3 to Australian grapefruit, which would allow cold treatment at up to 3° C for no more than 14 days to meet U.S. entry requirements. Comments are due Nov. 15.
The Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation announced Special Import Quota #26 for upland cotton will be established on Sept. 22, allowing importation of 13,614,466 kilograms (62,530 bales) of upland cotton (here). It will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Dec. 20 and entered into the U.S. by March 20, 2017. The quota is equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the period May through July, the most recent three months for which data are available.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes Sept. 12 to Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals. While some changes are minor, other changes may affect the admissibility of the plant products, including fruits, vegetables and flowers.
On Sept. 12 the Foreign Agricultural Service posted the following GAIN reports: