The U.S. has brought another rapid response request, this time over an alleged violation of worker rights at the Teksid Hierro de Mexico plant in Frontera, Mexico. According to the parent company's website, the plant makes iron castings used in heavy trucks made by Volvo, Cummins, Mack Trucks and others. The owner of the company is Stellantis, the conglomerate that owns the Chrysler brand.
Mexico announced that it will examine whether the Panasonic Automotive Systems plant in Reynosa violated the rights of its workers (see 2205180061) under the provisions of the USMCA.
Container freight shipments entering Costa Rica have “slowed to a trickle” due to a recent cyberattack against the country’s customs and taxation systems, USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service said in a May 23 report. The delays have increased costs and are “compounding challenges” faced by Costa Rican importers, who are already dealing with COVID-19 pandemic-related supply chain disruptions and other trade issues caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine, the report said. USDA said Costa Rica’s primary container cargo port -- Limon on the Atlantic coast -- is prioritizing export shipments, and containers awaiting customs clearance at the port are accumulating fees of $350 to $400 per day.
Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina recently announced antidumping duty and countervailing duty actions and decisions on certain products from mainland China, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported May 26.
Mexico recently suspended import duties on 66 tariff lines to help combat inflation and food scarcity, USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service said in a May 23 report. The temporary duty exemptions apply to staple food items and basic commodities for food processing, the agency said, including corn, oil, rice, meats, poultry, wheat flour, sorghum and eggs. The exemptions will remain in effect for one year from May 17.
Colombia will amend its technical regulations for certain nutrition and front-of-pack labeling requirements later this year, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service said in a May 19 report. The changes, which take effect Dec. 16, will revise requirements for certain packaged food imports intended for “human consumption,” the agency said. The revisions will revise “existing labeling requirements,” USDA said, “including warning elements such as symbols, as well as nutritional facts panel information and format.”
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said May 12 that potatoes from Idaho were allowed to be sold in Mexico just beyond the border zone -- market access the U.S. had been seeking for about 15 years, though potatoes were briefly allowed to all of Mexico in 2014 (see 14052305).
Former Mexican ambassadors to the U.S. and a former U.S. ambassador to Mexico expressed anxiety that Mexico is not able to capitalize on the move to nearshore or friendshore for a variety of reasons.
Canada is seeking public comments on whether it should collect and publish country of melt and pour (COM) information for steel imports under the Canada’s Steel Import Monitoring Program. The public consultation period will help it “provide a better understanding of the use and value of this data for stakeholders and to assess its potential application on the steel import process,” Canada said. It hopes increasing its oversight over COM could boost supply chain transparency by obtaining a “more fulsome picture of the origins of imported steel goods.” The consultation period closes June 26.
The Commerce Department will lead a group of American companies and exporters to Brazil May 15-18 as part of the 2022 South America Trade Mission and Business Conference, Commerce said in an emailed news release May 9. The broader trade mission will feature stops in Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname and Uruguay to help businesses “seeking to expand into new markets,” the agency said. Commerce Deputy Secretary Don Graves said the mission will specifically look to expand U.S. market opportunities in Brazil. “This trip will allow the United States and Brazil to forge an even stronger partnership, one which will deepen the economic relationship between both nations and further build upon our shared goals and commitments,” Graves said.