International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from Oct. 25-29 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
Tim Warren
Timothy Warren is Executive Managing Editor of Communications Daily. He previously led the International Trade Today editorial team from the time it was purchased by Warren Communications News in 2012 through the launch of Export Compliance Daily and Trade Law Daily. Tim is a 2005 graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts and lives in Maryland with his wife and three kids.
The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America remains supportive of CBP's efforts to impose new continuing education requirements for customs brokers (see 2109090030), but requested some changes from the proposed rule in recently submitted comments. The NCBFAA would like to see CBP include provisions for recognizing 30-minute trainings as the smallest unit of continuing education training credits (half credits) and for full credits to include time to allow for breaks. It also said it agreed with CBP's change to 36 hours of education every three years, from 40 hours.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from Oct. 18-22 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
A product line of drug tests falls outside the meaning of “drug paraphernalia” and can be imported into the U.S., CBP said in an Oct. 18 ruling. Kappa City Biotech, a French company that makes the tests, asked CBP to rule on whether its urine, saliva and “forensic” tests are prohibited from import as drug paraphernalia.
CBP issued a withhold release order on “fresh tomatoes produced by the tomato farm Agropecuarios Tom S.A. de C.V., and Horticola S.A de C.V., and their subsidiaries." the agency said Oct. 21. The WRO is a result of "information that reasonably indicates the use of forced labor against its workers," CBP said. Forced labor indicators found by CBP included "abuse of vulnerability, deception, withholding of wages, debt bondage, and abusive working and living conditions," it said.
CBP issued a withhold release order on “disposable gloves produced by Supermax Corporation Bhd.’s wholly-owned subsidiaries, Maxter Glove Manufacturing Sdn. Bhd., Maxwell Glove Manufacturing Bhd., and Supermax Glove Manufacturing," the agency said in a news release Oct. 20. “With 10 of the 11 forced labor indicators identified during the course of our investigation, CBP has sufficient evidence to conclude that Supermax Corporation Bhd. and its subsidiaries produce gloves in violation of U.S. trade law,” said CBP Office of Trade Executive Assistant Commissioner AnnMarie Highsmith. “Until the manufacturers can prove their manufacturing processes are free of forced labor, their goods are not welcome here.” Supermax was one of several Malaysian companies named in recent forced labor allegations from Andy Hall, a British human rights activist (see 2105240022).
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from Oct. 11-15 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from Oct. 4-8 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from Sept. 27 - Oct. 1 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
CBP plans to begin a global business identifier “Evaluative Proof of Concept (EPoC)” meant to explore possible replacements for the manufacturer identification codes, the agency said in a notice. “By testing the identifiers CBP will take its first step in determining whether to amend regulations to mandate the GBI solution,” it said. “Furthermore, CBP will understand the utility of collecting and/or combining the identifiers’ data and will be able to make an informed decision on whether to mandate the use of the GBI solution as an alternative” to the MID code.