USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service issued a final rule, effective February 17, which revises reporting requirements for imports of commodities regulated under section 608(e) of the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937. The section, referred to as 8e, provides that whenever certain commodities are regulated under federal marketing orders, imports of those commodities into the U.S. are prohibited unless they meet the same or comparable grade, size, quality or maturity requirements as those in effect for domestically produced commodities.
Changes under the final rule require that the inspection certificates generated for each lot of such commodities include the entry number of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection documentation that accompanies that lot.
The changes also require importers of raisins, dates and dried prunes report products exempt from 8e import regulations on AMS Form FV-6 – Importers’ Exempt Commodity Form – which is the same form currently used by importers of all other commodities exempt from 8e import regulations.
AMS says the changes are intended to streamline the tracking of imported products and provide uniformity in electronic reporting systems used by the industries and USDA.
Information on complying with this regulation may be obtained by contacting Jay Guerber at (202) 720-2491 or e-mail: Jay.Guerber@usda.gov.
The final rule can be obtained at the link below or by contacting AFI.
