U.S. Grain Standards Act Reauthorization

NAEGA has accepted an invitation from the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry  to testify at a hearing entitled, “Perspectives on Reauthorization of the U.S. Grain Standards Act.” on July 31, 2019  in Washington, D.C NAEGA will be represented by the Chairman of the NAEGA Grades and Inspection Committee, Nick Friant of Cargill. More information, including a link to watch the entire hearing live on July 31 at 9:30 am Eastern Time, can be found through this link. Nick’s written testimony will be posted to that site at the time of the hearing.

Section 301 China Comments

The U.S. Trade Representative is seeking public comment on proposed modifications to actions being taken in its Section 301 investigation regarding acts, policies, and practices of the Government of China related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation. The proposed modification is to take further action in the form of an additional ad valorem duty of up to 25 percent on products of China with an annual trade value of approximately $300 billion.

USTR is seeking public comment and will hold a public hearing regarding this proposed modification on June 17, 2019 from the International Trade Commission. While it is too late to request to testify at the hearing, written comments will be accepted until the end of the day on June 17.

All written submissions can be made on regulations.gov under the docket number USTR-2019-0004.

Egypt Weed Seed Proposal

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) is seeking industry comment on notified measures on Egypt’s Plant Quarantine Regulations. The proposed Draft Ministerial Resolution includes an updated list of banned pests (weed, insect, microorganism) and permissible treatment options for certain quarantined pests. The resolution also updates a list of commodities exempted from Import Permit and Phytosanitary Certificates, which include commercial cotton samples, wheat, and processed plant consignments.  The notifications can be found here and here. Comments are due by close of business on March 28.