HEADLINES

CBSA responds to recent system outages During the week of April 28th, CBSA experienced systems outages and extremely slow processing times; at its peak in excess of 4 hours. This was directly attributed to their firewall and tied to the problems experienced by the Canada Revenue Agency TAX NETFILE system. May 6, 2008

Softwood Lumber: CBP issues final rule on Canada SWL products U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a final rule, effective Thursday, April 17, revising the import requirements for softwood lumber (SWL) from Canada, pursuant to the bilateral Softwood Lumber Agreement (SLA) of 2006. This Final Rule adopts, with certain changes, an October 2006 interim rule that amended 19 CFR Parts 12 and 163 to establish special entry requirements for shipments of SWL products from Canada. May 2, 2008

FDA issues updated guidance for industry on food labeling The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an April 2008 Guidance for Industry, summarizing the required statements that must appear on food labels under federal laws governing food products under FDA's jurisdiction and their regulations. April 28, 2008

CBP announces summer port hours of operation in Northern New York state U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in conjunction with Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), have informed the public that the Border Inspection Stations at Churubusco, New York-Franklin Center, Quebec and Cannons Corners, New York-Cannons Corners, Quebec, will revise their hours of operation in accordance with the summer schedule. April 25, 2008

Contract guidelines: TSA 2008-2009 cost recovery program TSA member lines announced in November 2007 their recommended rate program for the 2008-2009 service contract seasons. Carriers anticipate continued increases in inland transport and container equipment positioning costs, and a continued cargo and equipment imbalance of more than 2:1 in the transpacific market despite slowing eastbound traffic and increased export traffic. April 9, 2008

U.S. and Canada discuss ending WMP exemption Currently, wood packaging material (WPM) made entirely of Canadian origin wood or U.S. origin wood is exempt from certain treatment and marking requirements* in trade between the two countries. This exemption only pertains to WPM coming directly to the U.S. from Canada or directly to Canada from the U.S. April 2, 2008

WHTI: Final rule for land and sea travel will begin June 1, 2009 The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of State (DOS) have announced the final rule for the land and sea portion of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). Effective June 1, 2009, travelers will be required to present a passport, or other approved secure document, denoting citizenship and identity, for entry into the United States via land and sea travel. April 2, 2008

China and U.S. partner in global supply chain security The U.S. and China started a pilot validation program in China in order to enhance global supply chain security. The pilot involved three Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) importer partners whose supply chains predominately originate in China. March 28, 2008

APHIS amends entry requirements for certain bouillon cubes, stocks, dehydrated soup mixes or extracts On January 28, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Veterinary Services (VS), amended the USDA's Animal Product Manual (APM) regarding the entry requirements for certain bouillon cubes, stocks, dehydrated soup mixes or extracts. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) was notified of this amendment at that time. March 25, 2008

FDA issues import alert regarding Heparin importations The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published an Import Alert, advising the importing trade community that the FDA will be monitoring import shipments of Heparin. Heparin is a prescription, injectable blood anticoagulant (also called a blood thinner). Initial information suggests this project will be in place over the next 90 days. March 25, 2008

ACE e-Manifest: Trade community reminded of ACE Portal weekend downtime The trade community is reminded the ACE Secure Data Portal is not available each weekend from 11:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday, until 5:00 a.m. EDT on Sunday, for regular system maintenance. March 18, 2008

Samples of negligible value – revision to Memorandum D8-2-8 The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has entirely revised memorandum D8-2-8 which pertains to the remission of duties and taxes in respect of consignments of imported samples of goods of all kinds. March 13, 2008

2008 Federal Budget Highlights Specific trade details and travel-related announcements are contained in Canada’s 2008 federal budget. Key topics are summarized for your quick reference. February 29, 2008

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