Deringer Trade Alerts

• Explosion at Rainbow Bridge Border Crossing
  November 22, 2023
  In Niagara Falls, New York, a border crossing between the U.S. and Canada has been shut down following an explosion of a vehicle at a checkpoint on the Rainbow Bridge, connecting the two nations over the Niagara River. As a precaution, three additional bridges linking western New York and Ontario ...
• FDA Issues Compliance Policy for Cosmetic Industry
  November 8, 2023
  On November 8th, 2023, the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it will delay the enforcement of the requirements for cosmetic product facility registration and cosmetic product listing requirements under the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA) for six months. The FDA issued guidance on its ...
• TMF at Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to Increase 4.0% on Nov 1, 2023
  October 6, 2023
  The West Coast MTO Agreement (WCMTOA) today announced that on November 1, 2023, the Traffic Mitigation Fee (TMF) at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will increase by 4%. The adjustment matches the combined 4% increase in longshore wage and assessment rates recently ratified in the coastwide contract ...
• FDA Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA)
  October 4, 2023
  On December 29, 2022 U.S. President Joe Biden signed into law the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA), setting in motion the requirement for most cosmetics facilities (foreign and domestic) to register with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by the end of 2023. The FDA posted draft guidance regarding ...
• Possible U.S Government Shutdown –Potential Trade Activity Disruptions
  September 28, 2023
  While members of Congress actively negotiate government spending levels for fiscal year 2024, the United States is heading for its fourth partial government shutdown in the last decade. Trade agencies’ operations will be at risk if a government shutdown occurs. The House of Representatives and the Senate have a deadline ...
• CBP’s Counter-Synthetic Drug Campaign: Disrupting Transnational Criminal Organizations Efforts to Produce Synthetic Drugs
  August 25, 2023
  The U.S Customs Border Protection’s counter-synthetic drug operation aims to dismantle and disrupt Transnational Criminal Organizations’ (TCO) efforts to produce fentanyl and other deadly synthetic drugs by going after the materials required to produce these substances. According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), “At the beginning of June ...
• The Better Trade Tool: Providing better visibility, risk assessment of US imports
  August 15, 2023
  The Better Trade Tool was launched this week by the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) and developed through the integration of four publicly available U.S. Government sources. The Better Trade Tool is “intended to serve as a resource for users interested in learning about labor exploitation risks in the ...
• One-Day Strike in City of LA Impacts Port and Airport
  August 8, 2023
  Thousands of city workers in Los Angeles are taking part in a one-day strike to bring attention to what they describe as unfair labor practices and the city’s failure to bargain in good faith. More than 11,000 city workers for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 721, started walking ...
• The B.C. Port Strike is Over – A Four-Year Agreement Has Been Reached
  August 8, 2023
  The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) announced Friday, August 4th, that 74.66% of its membership voted in agreement for the new four-year contract. The deal ensures marine terminals in the upcoming weeks can clear a backlog created by the strike. The agreement was reached with the assistance of the ...
• Update on the ongoing ILWU Strike – New Tentative Labor Deal Reached in Canadian Port Negotiations
  August 1, 2023
  On Sunday, July 30th, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union of Canada (ILWU) and the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) announced a tentative labor agreement through the assistance of the Canada Industrial Relations Board. The union’s membership and member employers are now recommended to ratify the agreement. Despite this tentative ...
• Merchandise Processing Fee Minimum/Maximum Increase
  August 1, 2023
  U.S. Customs and Border Protection published a notice of increase to COBRA fees in the Federal Register on July 28, 2023. Of particular interest to the trade is the increase of the minimum/maximum of merchandise processing fees. While the Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF) ad valorem rate of 0.3464 percent will ...
• Yellow Prepares for Bankruptcy – Customers seeking other alternatives
  July 28, 2023
  One of the nation’s largest trucking companies, Yellow, is preparing for bankruptcy. The carrier has seen a significant decline in customers amid a cash crunch and union negotiations. A bankruptcy filing would put the company at a high risk of a liquidation since a large number of customers have already ...
• UPS and Teamsters Reach Tentative Agreement
  July 25, 2023
  United Parcel Service and its union reached a tentative agreement Tuesday, potentially avoiding a strike that would have possible far-reaching impacts to consumers and businesses around the globe. According to Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, the tentative deal “contains $30 billion worth of new money from UPS over the life of the ...
• The ILWU Strike to Resume – Scheduled to take effect July, 22nd
  July 19, 2023
  On July 13th, 2023, the BCMEA and ILWU reached a tentative deal, ending 13 days of disruption to Canada’s West Coast ports. However, the tentative agreement did not please the internal leadership of the ILWU. On July 18th, the ILWU continued their strike at 4:30pm, putting the Canadian economy at ...
• Procurement Challenges: Excluding Products Made with Forced Labor
  July 13, 2023
  Exposure to forced labor often occurs several steps up in the supply chain process. The Uyghur region of China has been known for forced labor practices. This link will provide you a list of the companies currently working in the Uyghur region of China. Procurement challenges in the Uyghur region ...
• Dock workers in Western Canada set to continue talks today as strike enters day three
  July 3, 2023
  According to Reuters the dock workers at Canada’s western Pacific coast will resume discussions on Monday, 7/3. Union leaders are urging the federal government to stay out of the negotiations. “The federal government must stay out of our business,” Rob Ashton, president of ILWU Canada, told reporters on Sunday. “If ...
• 72-Hour Strike Notice Issued by B.C. Port Union
  June 28, 2023
  According to the National Post, the British Columbia International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada has issued a 72-hour strike notice, indicating that members are prepared to ‘walk off the job on Saturday,’ July 1, 2023. Roughly 7,000 terminal cargo loaders are ready to strike at western Canada’s ports, with the Union ...
• Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Food Traceability Rule
  June 27, 2023
  On June 26, 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted to its website Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about FSMA’s Food Traceability Rule. The FDA states: “The new FAQs address questions to help clarify how the rule applies to specific situations and are largely based on questions received during the FDA’s regular ...
• Canada’s ILWU Authorizes Strike Vote
  June 7, 2023
  On June 5, Canada’s International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) posted a notice that its negotiating committee authorized the ILWU Longshore Locals to conduct a strike vote among its members on June 9 and 10.  The threatened strike would occur at Vancouver and Prince Rupert ports. The B.C. Maritime Employers Association ...
• West Coast Port Disruptions Stretch into Fifth Day
  June 6, 2023
  Over the weekend and continuing today, dockworkers disrupted cargo activity due to labor issues at several key West Coast ports, causing labor slowdowns, shift closures, and some terminals completely shutting down.  The disruptions continue to interrupt the flow of cargo as labor contract negotiations that have been ongoing for over ...
• Worker Shortage Closes Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach
  April 7, 2023
  According to the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), “the largest ILWU local on the West Coast has taken a concerted action to withhold labor at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, resulting in widespread worker shortages.” The PMA’s statement continued: “A majority of the jobs for last night’s shift went unfilled, ...
• April 15th General Rate Increase for Container Freight
  April 6, 2023
  Ocean carriers have announced a GRI effective April 15th for $540/$600 per 20’/40’ container for Port to Port and $720/$800 for anything moving over the rail to inland locations. Carriers have not successfully implemented these increases in the past, but we see blank sailings increasing, which is tightening capacity. ...
• Phase VII of Lacey Act Enforcement Schedule Announced
  April 3, 2023
  On March 27, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced it would begin requiring Lacey Act declarations for Phase VII as early as spring 2024.  Phase VII includes all remaining non-composite plant products, including wood, wicker, and rattan furniture (chapter 94), cork products (chapter 45), and some essential ...
• FDA Terminates Pending Option for Unique Facility Identifier Requirement
  March 28, 2023
  According to CSMS# 55593773, the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) flexibility for the Unique Facility Identifier (UFI) requirement for Food Facility Registrations has been terminated, and the choice to select “Pending” is no longer available.  To confirm your registration and provide a registration number, the FDA must verify the accuracy ...
• EPA Releases Guidance on Pesticide Devices Imported into the U.S.
  March 8, 2023
  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a compliance advisory in February 2023 about importing pesticide devices into the U.S., which are subject to statutory and regulatory requirements.  The producing, distributing, or selling of pesticide devices has increased, and the EPA has noticed significant non-compliance with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, ...
• Forced Labor Prevention Act Region Alert Enhancements Coming to ACE March 18
  February 9, 2023
  On March 18, 2023, CBP will implement an Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) enhancement that will “provide an early notification to importers and their representative of goods that may have been produced in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (Xinjian or XUAR) and may be excluded from importation into the United States.” Whenever ...
• Duty Free Entry eTool System Replaced with New Platform
  January 19, 2023
  On January 15, the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) Duty Free Entry (DFE) eTool System was deactivated and replaced with a new platform, Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment (PIEE). Vendors/prime contractors are responsible for linking the appropriate brokers to their contracts in PIEE since brokers are not allowed access to the platform. The ...
• FSVP Final Guidance Issued for Importers of Food for Humans and Animals
  January 16, 2023
  Final guidance for the Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) for Importers of Food for Human and Animals was issued on Tuesday, January 10, by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  The guidance provides information for human and animal food importers about how to comply with FSVP regulations, including those ...
• USTR Extends 301 Exclusions an Additional Nine Months
  December 20, 2022
  On Friday, December 16, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced an extension of the 352 product exclusions from Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods scheduled to expire on December 31, 2022.  The new expiration date is September 30, 2023. The exclusions were initially reinstated in March 2022.  ...
• Biden Calls on Congress to Intervene and Avoid National Rail Shutdown
  November 29, 2022
  To avert a national rail shutdown, U.S. President Joe Biden sent a statement yesterday calling for Congress to pass legislation immediately to adopt the Tentative Agreement announced in September between railroad workers and operators.  Biden asked that Congress act “without any modifications or delay.” “As a proud pro-labor President, I am ...