US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shared that USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Core Message Set implementation in ACE would be extended until January 2021, according to CSMS 43224976 published yesterday. Prior to this extension, the APHIS Core was set to activate in ACE on August 3, 2020. This action comes as a result of “stakeholder concerns about operational and economic setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.” APHIS will publish a Federal Register Notice in the next couple of weeks. The CSMS stated, “This action will give the trade community time to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for this change.”
The APHIS Core Message Set is not a requirement for months now, but the CSMS strongly recommends that stakeholders participate who are ready. A series of informational webinars covering APHIS-regulated products, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, cut flowers, animal products, miscellaneous and processed products, seeds not for planting, and plants for plants, are available on the APHIS Core Message Set Guidance Webinars page.
Customers with questions about preparedness for the APHIS Core Message Set can contact Deringer’s Compliance Department.