CBP posted new materials describing the Participating Government Agency (PGA) message set pilot program that will allow for the filing of some Environmental Protection Agency and Food Safety and Inspection Service information through ACE. The pilots will allow for electronic filing of foreign inspection certificates, automated validation checks and messaging between the agencies and the filers regarding validation results, according to overviews of the pilots (here) and (here). The EPA pilot will begin late summer and the FSIS pilot will begin May 28 (see 13032829).
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
The Food Safety and Inspection Service said it will begin its pilot May 28 on submission of electronic import inspection applications for meat, poultry, and egg products (FSIS Form 9540-1) through the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), and is accepting requests to participate from importers and customs brokers by that date. The pilot will be used to test the transfer of data from the Participating Government Agency (PGA) Message Set in ACE to FSIS’ Public Health Information System (PHIS), the agency said. FSIS also posted a draft compliance guide for importers and customs brokers on electronic filing of the form in ACE.
Customs reauthorization legislation, introduced March 22 in the Senate, aims to streamline CBP’s drawback process through electronic claim filing and the establishment of objective eligibility requirements. The Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Reauthorization Act of 2013, sponsored by Senate Finance Committee leaders Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, is very similar to CBP reauthorization legislation previously introduced in both the House and Senate (see 13032610).
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
CBP released spreadsheets showing active AD/CVD cases and the associated case numbers, ISO country codes, tariff numbers, and short descriptions of each case as of Oct. 1 . This information alone should not be relied upon in determining whether an AD/CVD case is currently active, or whether merchandise falls under the scope of AD/CVD order, said CBP. For current AD/CVD information, consult ACE, Department of Commerce Federal Register Notices, and ADDCVD Search on CBP.gov, said CBP. Active anti-dumping cases are (here). Active countervailing cases are (here).
Senate Finance Committee leaders introduced legislation to reauthorize CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement March 22. The Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Reauthorization Act of 2013 establishes and fully authorizes CBP and ICE, and makes “trade facilitation and trade enforcement a top priority for each agency,” according to a summary of the bill from the Committee.
CBP said it fixed problems with Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Entry Summary filings. Some ACE filers stopped receiving response messages March 20, but that issue has been resolved, the agency said in a CSMS message. Filers that didn't get a response on March 20 should retransmit the ACE Entry Summary, it said.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for March 11-15 in case they were missed.
An entry summary line may require the reporting of both an antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) case and filers should check the applicable cash deposit instructions or contact the Commerce Department to confirm the applicable AD/CVD cases said CBP in a CSMS message Automated Broker Interface (ABI) filers. "Filers should not rely on the 'related case #' field in the ACE AD/CVD case management information to determine a related AD or CVD case," said CBP. "If the “related case #” field is blank, a related AD or CVD case may still be required."