Brian Feito

Mexican tomato growers on Sept. 19 signed off on a final agreement to again suspend antidumping duties on Mexican tomatoes, they said in a press release. The deal still includes controversial provisions on mandatory inspections for most imports of Mexican tomatoes, but the growers say they were able to obtain concessions that should soften the impact of the controversial requirements.

The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Sept. 9-15:

Cheese importers should still apply for 2020 licenses for importing cheese from the United Kingdom as if the U.K. is still part of the European Union despite the country’s preparations for Brexit, Foreign Agricultural Service officials said, according to a Cheese Importers Association of America update. The U.K. is still considered part of the EU for tariff schedule purposes, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative would need to issue regulations for the U.K. to receive separate treatment under the tariff system, FAS officials told CIAA. That process could take several years to complete, though it would be quicker if the U.S. signs a free trade agreement with the U.K, the officials said.

Mandatory inspection requirements in a proposed agreement to avoid antidumping duties on Mexican tomatoes could prompt “significant bottlenecks” at ports of entry and “contribute to sustained border congestion,” the American Trucking Associations said in comments on the agreement it recently submitted to the Commerce Department via the agency's ACCESS database (login required, docket A-201-820). Those increased delays at the southern border “would have devastating consequences for all our members engaged in cross-border business, not just those hauling tomatoes,” the trade group said.

The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Sept. 2-8:

A recent petition filed with the Federal Trade Commission asks the agency to issue regulations that would allow it to hit first-time violators of Made in USA requirements with monetary penalties. TruthinAdvertising.org says the lack of any regulations on Made in USA claims means unscrupulous companies are able to falsely advertise with impunity, harming consumers and other companies that are honest about their products’ origins.

The Commerce Department can’t modify antidumping and countervailing duty rates after a court ruling before first publishing a notice that they’re going to change, the Court of International Trade said in a Sept. 6 decision. In a challenge from an importer of solar cells that was hit with retroactive duty increases for merchandise entered before Commerce’s tardy notice, CIT found the merchandise entered before the notice should be reliquidated at the lower rate that was previously in effect.

Vietnam continues efforts to crack down on the country of origin fraud and transshipment schemes that have become especially more frequent since the ramping up of U.S.-China trade tensions, according to reports in CustomsNews, the self-described “mouthpiece” of Vietnam Customs.

A Miami-based customs broker was recently convicted of wire fraud and conspiracy for his part in a scheme to lie to manufacturers to obtain deeply discounted medical devices intended for export, then divert those devices to customers in the United States. Luis Soto, president of Absolute Freight Services, was convicted after a jury trial where the Justice Department alleged Soto knew his actions as a forwarder contributed to the scheme.

The Texas Supreme Court will take up a case involving the assessment of property taxes on merchandise stored in a foreign-trade zone that CBP had temporarily approved an oil refiner to operate, it said on Aug. 30. PRSI Trading says Harris County, location of Houston and also Foreign-Trade Zone 84, improperly found its subzone was not activated and is set to improperly assess $9 million in property taxes, despite dozens of temporary monthly approvals from CBP.