On July 11 the Foreign Agricultural Service posted the following GAIN reports:
The Food Safety and Inspection Service is amending its regulations to allow imports of beef from Namibia, it said. The agency’s final rule (here) adds Namibia to the list of countries eligible to export meat and meat products to the U.S., but only for boneless (not ground) raw beef products, such as primal cuts, chuck, blade and beef trimmings, processed in certified Namibian establishments. Exports from Namibia will be subject to reinspection at the port of entry. Namibia would have to get further approval for other meats and meat products, FSIS said. The final rule takes effect Sept. 12.
On July 8 the Foreign Agricultural Service posted the following GAIN reports:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is extending the comment period on its proposal to allow the importation of lemons from northwest Argentina into the continental U.S. (here), subject to certain conditions including production requirements and a phytosanitary certificate. Lemons would also have to be harvested green or treated for Medfly, APHIS said. Comments are due Aug. 10.
The Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation announced Special Import Quota #22 for upland cotton will be established on July 14, allowing importation of 14,154,836 kilograms (65,012 bales) of upland cotton (here). It will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Oct. 11 and entered into the U.S. by Jan. 9, 2017. The quota is equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the period March through May, the most recent three months for which data are available.
The Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation announced Special Import Quota #21 for upland cotton will be established on July 7, allowing importation of 14,671,661 kilograms (67,386 bales) of upland cotton (here). It will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than Oct. 4 and entered into the U.S. by Jan. 2, 2017. The quota is equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the period February through April, the most recent three months for which data are available.
On June 30 the Foreign Agricultural Service posted the following GAIN reports:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is proposing to allow importation of bone-in ovine meat from Uruguay, subject to certain conditions, it said (here). Uruguay requested the exemption from deboning requirements so it could export rack of lamb to the U.S., APHIS said. Comments are due Aug. 30.
On June 29 the Foreign Agricultural Service posted the following GAIN reports:
The Food Safety and Inspection Service is asking for comments on the sanitary and phytosanitary standard (SPS) setting activities at the Codex Alimentarius Commission from June 1, 2015, to May 31, 2016, and June 1, 2016, to May 31, 2017. The notice (here) provides a list of the standard-setting activities, as well as other types of Codex standards like commodity standards, guidelines, codes of practice and revised texts. Attachment 1 to the notice sets forth the SPS standards under consideration or planned for consideration, as well as, for each SPS standard specified: (1) a description of the consideration or planned consideration of the standard; (2) whether the U.S. is participating or plans to participate in the consideration of the standard; (3) the agenda for U.S. participation, if any; and (4) the agency responsible for representing the U.S. with respect to the standard.