Dairy TRQ Licenses and Fees
The Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service has announced that it will charge a $350 fee (up from $324) for the 2024 tariff-rate quota year for each license it issues to a person or firm authorizing the importation of certain dairy articles that are subject to TRQs set forth in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the U.S. These articles (which include butter, dried milk, and various cheeses) may only be entered into the U.S. at the in-quota tariff rates by or for the account of a person or firm to whom such licenses have been issued and only in accordance with the terms and conditions of the regulation. Licenses are issued on a calendar year basis and each license authorizes the holder to import a specified quantity and type of dairy article from a specified country of origin.
Separately, FAS has set forth revised appendices to the dairy TRQ licensing regulation for the 2023 quota year reflecting the cumulative annual transfers for certain dairy product import licenses permanently surrendered by licensees or revoked by the licensing authority. Whenever a historical license (Appendix 1) is not issued to an applicant or is permanently surrendered or revoked, the amount of that license must be transferred to the list of non-historical licenses in Appendix 2.
Dairy Exports to China
FAS reported recently that most U.S. dairy facilities registered to ship dairy products to China had their registration status expire Aug. 31. FAS therefore strongly encourages dairy exporters to check their registration status in the China Import Food Enterprise Registration system before shipping products. Companies that ship unregistered products are subject to denial of entry at Chinese ports.
U.S. facilities that have questions after viewing their registration status on or after Sept. 1 should contact CFSAN Export Certification. If a dairy shipment becomes detained or a facility and its shipment face other issues, please contact USDA here.
Poultry Imports
Effective Aug. 22 the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has removed restrictions on imports of poultry, commercial birds, ratites, avian hatching eggs, unprocessed avian products and byproducts, and certain fresh poultry products from zone PCZ-93 in Alberta, Canada, after the highly-pathogenic avian influenza outbreak in this area was completely resolved.
APHIS states that this was the last remaining zone under restriction in Canada and that as of Aug. 22 no zones in Canada are under APHIS restriction for HPAI. As a result, pet birds, commercial birds, and Columbiformes such as pigeons and doves imported from Canada no longer require an APHIS import permit if presented at a land border port, except for pet birds transiting Canada from the lower 48 states to Alaska. A health certificate issued by the Canada Food Inspection Agency is required for commercial birds imported from Canada but not for pet birds. Zoo birds must still have an import permit and a health certificate.
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