In the April 21, 2004 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (CBP Bulletin) (Vol. 38, No. 17), CBP issued notices: (a) modifying or revoking four classification rulings on glass-beaded artificial fruit and foliage, and (b) modifying a classification ruling on ink jet printer cartridges. CBP states that it is also revoking any treatment it has previously accorded to substantially identical transactions that are contrary to its position in these notices.
| Eff 04/23/04 FR Pub 04/23/04 The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has issued a proposed rule which would exempt any person who produces (as defined by AMS) and markets solely 100% organic products from paying assessments to any research and promotion program administered by AMS. On April 1, 2004, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a first set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and responses regarding the mandatory advance electronic information requirements for inbound air cargo. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced that the following carriers have become Sea Automated Manifest System (AMS) operational: The Washington Post reports that progress toward free trade is bogged down in Congress, due in large part to public concerns about the loss of jobs to foreign competition. According to the article, voter sentiment is running high against trade with low-wage countries and the Bush Administration is leery of trying for congressional approval of the U.S.-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) before the November election. The article opines that the only free trade agreements (FTAs) that stand a chance of getting through Congress in coming months are the U.S.-Australia FTA and the U.S.-Morocco FTA. (WP dated 04/23/04, www.washingtonpost.com.) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an updated Industry Guidance which lists, and provides a written description for, the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) numbers that are flagged in U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP's) entry system with imported food prior notice FD3 or FD4 indicators. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a press release announcing that on April 22, 2004, the U.S. and the European Union (EU) signed an agreement to improve container security and expand CBP's Container Security Initiative (CSI) throughout the EU. On April 1, 2004, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a first set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and responses regarding the mandatory advance electronic information requirements for inbound air cargo. The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) has issued two notices containing its determinations that, effective April 23, 2004, certain woven fabrics classified in HTS 5210.11 and in HTS 5513.11 and 5513.21, used in the production of women's and girls' blouses, cannot be supplied by the domestic industry in commercial quantities in a timely manner under the U.S.-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA). |