News

IGTC 2019 Business Plan

The Management Council of the International Grain Trade Coalition (www.igtcglobal.org) has set forth a new 2019 Business Plan.  Importantly, the window for Corporate Stakeholder one-time investments to secure a perpetual governance role in IGTC and provide for a funding bridge to a permanent self-sustaining IGTC will close at the end of 2018.  Corporate Stakeholders are for-profit entities who have made a onetime  investment in IGTC so that it can proceed to operate from the annual dues paid by the non-profit trade associations and councils that are IGTC members. The IGTC continues to seek new Corporate Stakeholders -time is running out to secure your spot! Interested companies can contact IGTC secretariat Katy Lee or Gary who serves at IGTC President. If you would like a copy of the business plan please contact Gary. 

Notice to the Trade

Addendum 1, Clause 6 be of the NAEGA 2 Model Contract (revised March 30, 2018) is the subject of a new NAEGA Notice to Trade. The notice provides guidance on how to calculate the waiting time at the second berth if the first seller has loaded part of their cargo at the first berth. The notice clarifies that that the correct interpretation of "remaining contracts" in Addendum 1, Clause 6B, should be interpreted to read as "remaining tonnage."  The Notice is available to the public and can be found here.

RCC Comments

On Monday, November 26 NAEGA and the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) submitted joint comments to the U.S. Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) regarding the joint U.S.-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council. In the comments, NAEGA and NGFA requested increased cooperation between the U.S. and Canada to reduce trade distorting non-tariff barriers, including through the promotion of rules and standards that will reduce risk and increase the predictability and certainty international trade.

A copy of the comments can be found here.

IGTC Newsletter

The latest IGTC newsletter is now available! Highlights include a recap of IGTC participation in a gene editing event in Beijing, the IGTC’s MOU with the International Grains Council, and an update on the ePhyto case studies.  

Read the full newsletter here.

Vietnam’s Canada Thistle measures

On Friday, December 14 NAEGA hosted a delegation from the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture headed by Vice-Minister Hà Công Tuấn.  Participants included the U.S. Soybean Export Council, the U.S. Grains Council and U.S. Wheat Associates.  During the meeting, Vietnamese Plant Protection Department (PPD) reported on its intentions for implementation on January 1, 2018 of a re-export requirement if Canadian thistle (Cirsium arvense) is found at import in soybean, corn and wheat.  Ultimately, the Vietnamese officials indicated they will not take action on U.S. shipments discovered to contain Canadian thistle until after planned consultations with the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on January 14, 2019.   

NAEGA is working closely with industry stakeholders and the Office of the USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs to follow up on the meeting.  We will focus on securing sound and least trade distortive practices on behalf of both PPD and APHIS to address all their respective actions.  The Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture has asked that we provide additional information about the U.S. export system and mitigation efforts regarding Canadian thistle.

CBP Blockchain

According to a statement by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), CBP is preparing to test several new use cases for blockchain in the trade compliance environment, including verifying the origin of certain raw material imports, verifying the composition of liquids imported via pipeline under free trade agreements and a potential joint test with the U.S. Postal Service. Following these tests, CBP will present the results of the use cases to the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC), after which the agency hopes the private sector provides their thoughts.