The National Marine Manufacturers Association celebrated Canada's full removal of tariffs on multiple types of boats from the U.S., in a May 6 news release. The Department of Finance Canada recently announced the change, which is expected to run in Canada Gazette on May 15, the NMMA said. Effective April 30, Canada's 10 percent retaliatory tariffs won't apply to the following items:
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will soon begin to add the first commodity group of a phased-in approach for implementing organic import requirements in the Automated Import Reference System, the CFIA said in a May 7 email. "To implement the import requirements into AIRS, CFIA will use a phased-in approach which will involve creating new commodity identifiers (OGD extension codes) for organic products by commodity type," it said. "The fresh fruits and vegetables will be the first commodity group to be implemented on May 29th, 2019. The list of the new OGD extensions will be made available prior to the AIRS publication."
Mexico will move the headquarters of its customs service to Nuevo Laredo, said General Administrator of Customs Ricardo Peralta, according to a report in La Verdad de Tamaulipas. Peralta confirmed the move during a meeting in Mexico City with Mayor Enrique Rivas Cuellar of Nuevo Laredo, Mayor Pete Saenz of Laredo, Texas, and Edgardo Pedraza Quintanilla of the Nuevo Laredo Customs Broker Association, the report said. The “decentralization” process is part of a broader customs reform that will see the creation of an independent Mexican customs agency (see 1904150042).
The Canada Border Services Agency updated the Regulated Commodities Data Element Matching Criteria Tables for use with Integrated Import Declarations, the CBSA said in a May 6 email. Effective May 6, the agency said it updated the tables for headings covered by Transport Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Health Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Global Affairs Canada, and Environment and Climate Change Canada. The update will appear on CBSA's website, though the agency notes that the website is still being updated.
Health Canada recently published new regulations for corded window coverings meant to reduce the strangulation hazard created by such products, the agency said in a news release. The regulations specify "requirements for construction, performance, labelling, and required product information across all market segments," Health Canada said in a notice in the Canada Gazette, Part II. The regulations take effect May 1, 2021, and will apply to all corded window coverings "sold, advertised, imported, or manufactured in Canada," Health Canada said. Among other things, the regulations will add requirements for sizes, lead content and reachability.
An updated free trade agreement entered into effect May 1 between Argentina and Chile, complementing an existing agreement that has been in effect for more than 20 years, the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Relations said in a press release. While the existing trade agreement provides for duty-free trade in goods, the new agreement includes modern rules on investment, services, procurement, telecommunications and e-commerce.
A recent ruling issued by the Mexico Secretariat of Economy clarifies an exemption from requirements to demonstrate compliance with Mexican product standards for certain products under a Mexican Sectoral Promotion Program (PROSEC), the Confederation of Mexican Customs Broker Associations (CAAAREM) said in a circular. Though many goods are required to have a certificate of compliance on file at entry beginning June 3, that requirement does not apply for (1) entries for consumption (2) by an importer with a PROSEC in effect, if (3) the imported merchandise will be used in the production of merchandise listed in article 4 of the PROSEC regulations, said the circular, as provided by trade consultancy AJR Comercio Exterior. That means that goods may be exempt even if they aren’t listed in paragraph 5 of the PROSEC decree, CAAAREM said.