News

Vietnam Fumigation Call – October 21

All NAEGA members are invited to attend a call with industry and government stakeholders, including APHIS, USDA FAS and GIPSA, regarding a response to Vietnam’s recently announced requirement for methyl bromide fumigation for wheat, corn and DDGS.

The call will take place on Friday, October 21 at 10am Eastern Time. Those interested in joining the call should dial in at the information below.

Call in number: 1-404-920-6650

Conference Code: 245335

For more information please contact Gary or Ryan.

Vietnam Fumigation Requirements

NAEGA is working closely with industry and government stakeholders, including the USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS), the Grain Inspectors, Packers and Stockyards Association (GIPSA) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), regarding new information on pre-shipment fumigation requirements for corn, wheat and DDGS. As of December 1, 2016 Vietnamese Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) will require methyl bromide fumigation for all shipments of these commodities into the country. Failure to comply with these requirements could result in a temporary suspension of trade.

In light of these new requirements, NAEGA is working to gather more information and develop and industry and government response. NAEGA will host a call on Friday, October 21 at 10 AM Eastern Time with industry and government stakeholders to share information and develop a communication strategy with PPQ. All NAEGA members are invited to join the call by using the following call in information:

Call in number: 1-404-920-6650

Conference Code: 245335

If you would like more information, or to participate in the Friday conference call on Vietnamese fumigation requirements, please contact Gary or Ryan.

NAFTA TWG – Quebec City – October 25-26

NAEGA President and CEO Gary Martin will travel to Quebec City, Canada on October 25 and 26 to participate in a meeting of the North American Free Trade Agreement’s (NAFTA) Technical Working Group (TWG) on Pesticides. During the meeting Gary will present before the TWG on the business realities of trading grain and the impacts that non-tariff barriers like missing or non-harmonized minimum residue limits (MRLs) can pose. The NAFTA TWG on Pesticides is mulitalteral working group comprised of the governments of Mexico, Canada and the United States that seeks to address pesticide issues that arise from the liberalization of trade between the three countries under the NAFTA agreement.

A notice to post for this upcoming travel can be found here. A copy of Gary’s presentation l will be available soon. For more information, please contact Gary or Ryan.

IGTC WTO Event

NAEGA President and CEO Gary Martin, who is also president of the International Grain Trade Coaliton (IGTC) will travel to Brussels, Belgium on November 10 for a meeting of the International Plant Protection Convention’s (IPPC) ePytho Industry Advisory Group (IAG). A copy of the IPPC’s ePhyto IAG agenda is available here. A copy of the Notice to Post for this travel can be found here.

For more information, please contact Gary or Ryan.

ASA-NAEGA-NOPA Comments to NTE

NAEGA is seeking member input into their annual comments to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on the National Trade Estimate (NTE) report on Foreign Trade Barriers. The NTE set out an inventory of the most important foreign barriers affecting U.S. exports of goods and services, U.S. foreign direct investment, and protection of intellectual property rights. The inventory facilitates U.S. negotiations aimed at reducing or eliminating these barriers.

A copy of the request for comments in the Federal Register is available here. Comments are due to USTR by October 27.

NAEGA members who are interested in providing comments on foreign trade barriers should contact Ryan or Gary.

Publication of Cuban Asset Control Regulations

Last week the White House, the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) and the Commerce Department released updated regulations further opening up U.S. economic and diplomatic relations with Cuba. As part of this package, OFAC and the Commerce Department have updated their Cuba Asset Control Regulations (CACR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to open up U.S. further open up U.S. economic relations with Cuba in infrastructure, shipping and contingent contracting. In addition, through a presidential directive, the president has directed U.S. executive agencies to further policies that increase economic and diplomatic relations with the Cuban government within the restrictions still in place due to the embargo.

A copy of the proposed regulations, which will be submitted into the Federal Register on October 17, is available below:

            Commerce Department EAR Regulations

           OFAC CACR Regulations

In addition, a copy of the Presidential Directive to executive agencies can be found here. For more information on NAEGA efforts to advance U.S. economic ties with Cuba through the U.S. Agricultural Coalition for Cuba, please click here.

IGTC Meetings and General Assembly – November 8-10

All NAEGA members are invited to attend two exciting International Grain Trade Coalition (IGTC) meetings happening in Geneva, Switzerland on November 8.You can register for both events by clicking here.

IGTC Strategy Session
November 8 – 8:00am-12:30pm
Location: Cargill International SA, Chemin De-Normandie, 14, Geneva
Click here for an agenda

IGTC General Assembly
November 8 – 1:00-3:00pm
Location: Cargill International SA, Chemin De-Normandie, 14, Geneva
Click here for an agenda

These meetings are timed to coincide with the Global Grains Geneva Conference which will take place on November 8-10.

For more information on the Strategy Session and General Assembly, or if you would like to contribute a proposal for IGTC action, please contact the Acting IGTC Secretariat Katy Lee.