Deringer Trade Alerts

• Port of Montreal Union Announces 72-Hour Partial Strike
  April 13, 2021
  On Saturday, the union representing the longshoremen at the Port of Montreal issued a 72-hour notice of a partial strike that will impact all terminals at the port. The work slowdown would include discontinuing overtime work, docking activities, training, and weekend work, but the port will continue working regular hours. ...
• FDA Ups the Ante on FSVP Compliance
  April 13, 2021
  With most aspects of the US Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Verification Program (FSVP) in place last year, the FDA will begin stricter enforcement of the regulations in 2021. During the Regulatory Agencies Committee (RAC) monthly meeting (a committee of the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America), ...
• FDA Extends Time to Obtain Unique Facility Identifier for Registration/Biennial Renewal
  March 31, 2021
  The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the time to obtain and submit a unique facility identifier (UFI), a new datapoint required for registration/biennial registration, has been extended to December 31, 2022. Currently, the only acceptable UFI is a DUNS number assigned by Dun & Bradstreet, and the ...
• USTR Suspends Free Trade Engagement with Burma
  March 31, 2021
  Yesterday, the US Trade Representative (USTR) published a press release announcing that the US would suspend all engagement with Burma under the 2013 Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), effective immediately. The announcement is in response to Burmese security forces’ brutal violence against civilians. The press release reads, “the USTR will ...
• Suez Canal Frees Up, but Impact Could Take Time to Clean Up
  March 30, 2021
  The Evergreen vessel blocking the Suez Canal was freed yesterday; however, the hundreds of ships waiting to traverse the canal have created a backlog with a rippling effect. Estimates predict days and up to weeks for the backlog to clear. The shipping delays caused by the backlog will likely mean ...
• Aluminum Import Licensing System Delayed Until June
  March 30, 2021
  According to CSMS 46800973, the US Commerce Department has postponed implementing the Aluminum Import Monitoring and Analysis System (AIM) until June 28, 2021. The effective date was March 29th, which was a delay from the original January 25, 2021, date (see Deringer’s January 25th alert). According to the AIM site, ...
• NPR: It ‘Might Take Weeks’ To Free Ship Stuck In Suez Canal, Salvage Company Says
  March 26, 2021
  The Suez Canal passage continues to be blocked in both directions – the waterway has been closed since Tuesday, March 23, when the Ever Given became lodged sideways.  Shippers can expect to see further delays on cargo inbound to the USA/Canada East Coast as the vessel is freed. Please see below ...
• CBP to Host Commodity-Specific Webinars; Stay Tuned for Registration
  March 26, 2021
  In CSMS 46744379, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that its National Commodity Specialist Division, Office of Trade, will present commodity-specific webinars. The webinars will begin in May and will tentatively extend through August. A subsequent CSMS (46749955) advised that the link to the webinar registration is forthcoming. The May ...
• USTR’s Section 301 Suspension on Large Aircraft Tariffs from EU Began March 11, 2021
  March 26, 2021
  Earlier in March, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced a suspension of Section 301 tariffs relating to the US-European Union large civil aircraft dispute (see Deringer trade alert dated March 8). The aircraft tariffs suspension is in place for a period of four months and began at ...
• CBP Fact Sheet Provides Marking Guidance on Fresh-Cut Flower Imports
  March 26, 2021
  US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published a fact sheet regarding country of origin marking requirements for fresh-cut flower imports. CBP indicated the guidance document was being made available because “The trend of importing consumer-ready, fresh-cut flower bouquets, or assembling such articles upon importation for sale directly to retailers, has ...
• Port of Montreal: Truce Ends without a Deal, but Talks Continue
  March 22, 2021
  On Sunday, the union representing longshoremen at the Port of Montreal (i.e., CUPE) announced that union members overwhelmingly rejected the most recent offer from the Maritime Employers Association (MEA). A CUPE spokesperson said that longshore workers would like to return to the bargaining table, and the union is not calling ...
• Port of Montreal Truce: Ending March 21st, Talks Remain Confidential
  March 18, 2021
  The Maritime Employers Association (MEA) and the union representing longshoremen at the Port of Montreal (i.e., CUPE) remain in confidential negotiations during its final days of a seven-month truce in effect until March 21, 2021. The following is the most recent available information: According to the Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association, ...
• Final Rule Published Increasing Softwood Lumber Assessment Rate
  March 18, 2021
  In February, the Agricultural Marketing Service published a Final Rule in the Federal Register amending the Softwood Lumber Research, Promotion, Consumer Education, and Industry Information Order by increasing the assessment rate from $0.35 to $0.41 per thousand board feet (mbf) effective April 1, 2021. “This rule will also add the ...
• US-UK and US-EU Suspend Section 301 Tariffs Relating to WTO Aircraft Dispute
  March 8, 2021
  A March 4, 2021, joint press release from the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) and the United Kingdom (UK) announced a four-month suspension of the Section 301 tariffs applied to the large civil aircraft World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute. The UK “ceased applying retaliatory tariffs in the Boeing ...
• Section 301 Tariff Exclusions for Certain COVID-19 Treatment Goods Extended through September
  March 8, 2021
  According to a notice published by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), the USTR will extend Section 301 exclusions on Chinese-origin goods used to treat COVID-19. These exclusions have a new expiry of September 30, 2021, but were previously set to expire at the end of March. “Effective with ...
• Port of Montreal Labor Negotiations Continue; Truce Scheduled to End March 21st
  February 25, 2021
  After a break from negotiations, the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Local 375 (representing longshoremen at the Port of Montreal), have resumed negotiations this week. The Canadian government has recently introduced new mediators in an attempt to find a resolution before March 21, ...
• CBP Publishes FAQ Regarding Imported Goods Subject to a Withhold Release Order from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
  February 15, 2021
  US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently published Frequently Asked Questions regarding imported goods from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) that are subject to withhold release orders (WRO). In January, “WROs were issued against cotton and tomatoes and their downstream products produced in whole or in part in the ...
• US Fish and Wildlife Service Postpones Implementation of ACE Message Set to June 2021
  February 11, 2021
  US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has delayed the full implementation of the FWS message set in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). The effective date was recently postponed to March 2021; however, the enforcement is now set for June 2021. According to CSMS 46044069, all filers currently have the option ...
• Port of Montreal Update on Ongoing Labor Negotiations
  February 11, 2021
  Following a 12-day strike, the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Local 375 (representing longshoremen at the Port of Montreal), have been at a truce since August 21, 2020. The break requires parties to remain at the bargaining table until March 21, 2021. Recently, new ...
• For Now, USTR Will Not Impose Section 301 Tariffs on Vietnam Imports
  January 25, 2021
  On January 15, 2021, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) issued a press release announcing that the US would not impose Section 301 tariffs on Vietnam imports. The news follows a Section 301 investigation regarding “Vietnam’s acts, policies, and practices related to currency valuation” initiated in October of ...
• Aluminum Import Monitoring and Analysis System Launch Delayed Until March 2021
  January 25, 2021
  The Aluminum Import Monitoring and Analysis (AIM) System launch has been delayed from January 25, 2021, to March 29, 2021. The new system will act similarly to the Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis System: it will require aluminum importers, or their Customs brokers, to submit information via an online portal ...
• CBP Announces Two-Stage Enforcement of Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Core
  January 22, 2021
  On January 21, 2021, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published CSMS 45773761, announcing two-stage enforcement of the APHIS Core message set. The phased enforcement is intended to provide importers and other stakeholders with time to adjust to the data requirements. Specifically, the message stated: “The first stage of enforcement will commence ...
• Steel and Aluminum Section 232 Tariff Exemptions, Quota Guidance Published by CBP
  January 14, 2021
  In December, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published a Federal Register Notice, which issued 123 new Section 232 tariff exclusions on steel and aluminum products, as well as a new process for requesting product exclusions from these measures. The new exclusions, called general approved exclusions (GAE), apply to ...
• Withhold Release Order on Cotton and Tomato Products from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Region
  January 14, 2021
  A new withhold release order (WRO) was announced by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on cotton and tomato products from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Effective January 13, 2021, the WRO requires CBP to detain all cotton and tomato products grown or produced in the Xinjiang province, including apparel, ...
• USTR Imposes Additional Section 301 Tariffs on EU Products
  January 5, 2021
  In a December 30, 2020, press release, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced that additional Section 301 tariffs on certain European Union (EU) goods would be adjusted as part of the ongoing large civil aircraft dispute. “Products subject to the additional tariffs include aircraft manufacturing parts from ...
• GSP and MTB Expired December 31, 2020
  January 5, 2021
  The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) and the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) expired on December 31, 2020. As of the New Year, importers must pay duty on goods previously eligible for GSP and MTB. When GSP expired in the past, it was made effective retroactively after its renewal. Additionally, US Customs ...
• USMCA Changes Announced Regarding MPF, FTZs, and Restrained Enforcement Period
  December 30, 2020
  US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published CSMS #45309245 on December 29, 2020, providing updates regarding the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The update includes changes to the treatment of goods entered through foreign trade zones (FTZs), availability of merchandise processing fee (MPF) refunds, and the end of the restrained enforcement period. On ...
• APHIS Core Filing Begins January 25th; Importers Should Prepare Now
  December 30, 2020
  Beginning January 25, 2021, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will require the mandatory filing of its “Core” partner government agency (PGA) message set in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). This programming change will shift licensing, permits, and the data required for entry processing to ACE for APHIS-regulated ...
• Aluminum Products: New Licensing Requirements Starting January 25
  December 28, 2020
  On January 25, 2021, new licensing requirements for aluminum products will take effect under a US Commerce Department final rule, which established the Aluminum Import Monitoring and Analysis (AIM) System. The new system acts similarly to the Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis System: it will require aluminum importers, or their ...
• Section 301 Exclusions of Certain COVID-19 Medical Products Extended to March 31, 2021
  December 23, 2020
  The Office of U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced today the determination to “extend certain product exclusions and to make further modifications to remove Section 301 duties from additional medical-care products to address COVID-19.”  In a notice posted to it’s website, the USTR “determined that maintaining or re-imposing additional duties on ...