News

NAFTA Certificate of Origin Under Review

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is seeking comments through July 25 on a proposed extension of NAFTA Certificate of Origin and Verification of Origin Questionnaire forms. The Certificate of Origin is used in NAFTA trade to certify that a good being exported in the trilateral North American trade qualifies as an originating good for preferential trade purposed under NAFTA. The Verification Questionnaire is used to gather sufficient information from exporters and producers to determine whether goods imported into the U.S. qualify as originating goods for the purpose of preferential tariff treatment under NAFTA.

CBP is seeking comment on the proposed extension of these forms by July 25. Please let either Gary or Ryan know if you have any comments or input on these forms.

Korean Corn Buyers Team

On July 29 NAEGA will host at its Washington, D.C. office a U.S. Grains Council corn buyers team from Korea. The group includes group that includes executives from top corn buying groups and corn starch companies in South Korea and discussion will include registration requirements for Korea’s Special Act on Food Safety and BCFM issues.

All NAEGA members are welcome to attend. Please contact Gary or Ryan for more information.

Russian Suspension of U.S. Soybean Imports

NAEGA is working closely with the USDA’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) regarding the recent suspension of soybean imports into Russia by the Russian Federal Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance Service (VPSS). VPSS has suspended U.S soybean imports due to the presence weed seeds, including ambrosia, in soybean shipments. This suspension of imports follows a series of letters, actions and meetings between VPSS and APHIS regarding the presence of quarantine weeds in soybean shipments, including letter in 2012, and February, March, and June of 2016. In APHIS’ most recent letter on June 2 the agency lays out a point by point clarification of the information sought by APHIS regarding this emergency action and reiterates its belief that this suspension is unjustified and trade distorting under the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).

NAEGA will continue to follow this issue closely as events unfold. A copy of the APHIS letter to VPSS can be found here. For more information, please contact Gary or Ryan.

CFTC Supplement to Position Limits Rule

On May 26 the Commodities and Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced that it will issue for public comment a supplement to its position limits proposal. The proposal will modify the procedures for those seeking exemptions from speculative position limits for non-enumerated bona fide hedging. The supplement would provide a new process for exchanges to recognize certain positions in commodity derivative contracts as non-enumerated bona fide hedges or enumerated anticipatory bona fide hedges, as well as to exempt from federal position limits certain spread positions, in each case subject to CFTC review.

Comments on the supplemental may be submitted electronically though the CFTC’s website. If you are interested in contributing to comments on the supplemental, please contact Gary or Ryan. For more information, click here.

New Newsletter Format

This week NAEGA launches its new email format! The format is designed to provide quick concise information in our weekly Outreach emails, while directing our readers to more substantive reporting on our website, www.naega.org. All NAEGA members can access the information provided in our Outreach through the “Members Only” section of the www.naega.org website. If you do not have a username or password for the NAEGA “Members Only” site, please contact Ryan.

Most importantly, we’d like to hear what you think about the new Outreach emails. Please send your questions, comments and feedback to Ryan.

IGTC Newsletter

The newest edition of the IGTC Newsletter is now available! This week’s newsletter includes coverage of IGTC’s participation in the WTO’s electronic documentation seminar, a report on the finalized version of the IGTC’s policy paper on the IPPC’s ISPM for grain and a request for assistance from all IGTC members (including NAEGA members) regarding COP-MOP meetings on December 4-17 in Cancun. A copy of the newsletter can be found on the IGTC intranet at www.igtcglobal.org or by clicking here.

Interested in reading previous IGTC Newsletters? Read them here:

EU Extends Glyphosate for 18 months

On Tuesday June 28 the European Commission extended the approval for the herbicide glyphosate by 18-months after an extended period of deliberations that put the chemicals future legality in the EU in questions. This 18-month extension follows previous Commission proposals to extend the herbicide for up to 15 years. Passage of the extension follows a non-binding resolution in the European Parliament opposing the renewal on grounds that the chemical is linked to cancer. The 18-month renewal of glyphosate will not include a scientific study by EU authorities to explore this claim.

For more information on the extension, click here.

NAPPO Releases Regional Standard for Karnal Bunt

The North American Plant Protection Organization (NAPPO) has released its regional standard on Karnal Bunt Pest Free Areas in North America (RSPM 13). The standard will now be circulated to the NAPPO Executive Committee for final approval/signature.

A copy of the regional standard can be found here. For more information, please contact Gary or Ryan.