Trade News

The following is from the 4 January 2012 edition of the Journal of Commerce. Ports tell FMC that U.S.-bound container traffic has fallen 3.2 percent since 2000 Four Canadian ports said Wednesday their share of U.S.-bound containerized cargo has dropped in the last decade, contrary to the claims of members of Congress and U.S. West Coast ports that spurred a Federal Maritime Commission inquiry.

The CSCB would like to hear if members are experiencing delays in accessing and navigating the CFIA AIRS tool. Details would be appreciated. Comments can be sent to the CSCB at [email protected] __________________________________________________

This message is to advise that the 2012 HS commodity codes for steel have been published in the 2012 Handbook for Export and Import Commodity Codes. Please visit the Section C - Carbon and Specialty Steel for the links. The updated codes have been effected in EICS as well. __________________________________________________

A new year is upon us and we expect designates are wondering about the 2012 annual renewal fees. CCS Designates can expect to receive renewal details by email during the week of January 16th. __________________________________________________

Members may be interested in some of the updated forms that CRA has made available on their website at: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/menu/NEW-e.html __________________________________________________

The following is excerpted from a 4 January 2012 release by Statistics Canada. Canada and the United States share one of the longest borders in the world, their economies are intertwined, and trade between them is extensive. Consequently, Canadian consumers have a widely held expectation that the prices they pay for many products should be roughly equal to US prices, after adjusting for the exchange rate. Two studies released today examine comparative price levels between the two countries. The release is available in its entirety at:

The following is from the 3 January 2012 edition of American Shipper. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is making progress getting more entry summary filings for imports entered in its new Automated Commercial Environment. The entry summary is the document submitted by an importer or its customs broker after cargo has been accepted into the country that covers the merchandise classification, duty, taxes and fees.

Members may be interested in the following, published on 4 January 2012 in Part II of the Canada Gazette. 1. Under the Export and Import Permits Act; Order Amending the Allocation Method Order — Turkey and Turkey Products. SOR/2011-304 December 12, 2011. http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2012/2012-01-04/html/sor-dors304-eng… 2. Under the Export and Import Permits Act; Order Amending the Allocation Methods Order — Hatching Eggs, Live Broilers, Eggs and Egg Products. SOR/2011-303 December 12, 2011.

Brokers are advised that the correction period for DECEMBER 2011 Softwood Lumber permits ends January 10, 2012, at 17:00 ET. We remind you of the importance of submitting correct information on permits as this is imperative to the operation of the Softwood Lumber Agreement. Please submit permit corrections for the month of DECEMBER before the end of the correction period, as is the case for every allocation month of the year. __________________________________________________

Chapter 03 was published to add the import conditions for the end uses: "Food service", "Further processing for human consumption", "Retail use" for the following HS Codes. 03.02 - Fish, fresh or chilled, excluding fish fillets and other fish meat of heading No. 03.04 03.03 - Fish, frozen, excluding fish fillets and other fish meat of heading No. 03.04

The following message is from CBSA (EDI12-001). Further to message EDI11-087 sent December 19, 2011, this is to advise that the Customs Commercial System was updated yesterday to show the 2011 rate of duty of 2% for MFN and GPT for classification numbers under tariff item 3921.90.99. These changes will go out on the automatic updates (AA records – Class files updates) and were scheduled to be available in your systems yesterday evening. __________________________________________________

The following is from the 3 January 2012 edition of American Shipper. President Obama on Friday named Alan Bersin assistant secretary for international affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, keeping him in the fold to continue pursuing initiatives on cross-border trade and travel in a different position. DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano made the announcement at a ceremony in Washington in which leadership of Customs and Border Protection was transferred from Bersin to Deputy Commissioner David Aguilar.

Members may be interested in the following, published on 31 December 2011 in Part I of the Canada Gazette. 1. Appeal to the Canadian International Trade Tribunal, under the Special Import Measures Act, Levolor Home Fashions Canada v. President of the Canada Border Services Agency. Appeal No.: AP-2011-015 Goods in Issue: Certain aluminum extrusions for use with venetian blinds

The following is excerpted from a 30 December 2011 news release by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and International Trade Minister Ed Fast today announced that a major step has been taken towards restoring access for Canadian beef in South Korea with the South Korean Parliament ratifying the import health requirements for Canadian beef, under 30 months of age. This is one of the final steps prior to Canadian beef re-entering the South Korean market... This release is available in its entirety at:

As a result of amendments to the HS Code structure implemented by the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on January 1, 2012, CFIA made the same changes to its database of HS Codes and OGD extensions. To view the list of the HS Codes (CFIA regulated commodities) that have been deleted or added to the CFIA-Automated Import Reference System (AIRS), please refer to our web site at: http://inspection.gc.ca/english/imp/hscodee.shtml

Chapter 03 was published to streamline requirements with the following HS Codes. 03.02 - Fish, fresh or chilled, excluding fish fillets and other fish meat of heading No. 03.04. 03.03 - Fish, frozen, excluding fish fillets and other fish meat of heading No. 03.04. 03.04 - Fish fillets and other fish meat (whether or not minced), fresh, chilled or frozen Please check your version number before submitting through EDI. If you have any questions, please contact your Import Service Centre.

Further to the message sent earlier today, following is the attachment provided by CBSA: http://cscb.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/ECU_GEMDES_2012-01-01.xls

The Harmonized System (HS) upon which the Custom Tariff is based is periodically updated by the World Customs Organization (WCO) with the most recent one being on January 1, 2012. As a result of these updates, CFIA updated its database of HS Codes and OGD extensions. To view the list of the HS Codes (CFIA regulated commodities) that have been deleted or added to the CFIA-Automated Import Reference System (AIRS), please refer to our web site at:

The following message is from CBSA (EDI11-091). Please note that there will be changes to the list of HS codes subject to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency requirements. These changes will be effective in the ACROSS system on Sunday, January 1st, 2012, and the CBSA website will be updated accordingly. Please see attachment. If you have questions on these changes, please contact the CFIA EDI hotline at 613-773-5322 or by e-mail at [email protected] _________________________________________