Monday Morning eBriefing

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced updates to its label approval guidelines to help establishments to meet new requirements for use of voluntary U.S.-origin label claims on FSIS-regulated products (meat, poultry and eggs).

The NCBFAA Regulatory Agencies Committee (RAC) is making the resources in the CPSC Toolkit available to association members’ importer clients to help prepare them for the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Certificate E-Filing requirements which take effect July 8, 2026.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, certain species of fish or fish products exported from 34 countries must provide through ACE a Certificate of Admissibility (COA) signed by an authorized official and also an attestation signed by the U.S. Importer of Record that the fish was not harvested in a fishery that was denied a comparability finding.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Office of International Affairs, Trade, and Commerce will host a webinar on Dec. 18, from 2-3 p.m. ET, to explain new catch certificate requirements for all seafood products exported to the European Union. NOAA Fisheries invites all SIP stakeholders planning to export to the European Union (EU) or who regularly request a U.S. Legal Harvest Certificate to attend to learn about the new requirements.

It has been brought to the NCBFAA Customs Committee’s attention by the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) Committee for the Statistical Annotation of Tariff Schedules, or 484(f) Committee, that the approved changes in the Schedule B will likely become effective Jan. 1, 2026. However, due to time lost during the government shutdown, there will be some delays in finalizing and updating approved changes to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS). Thus, requested HTS breakouts that are approved will instead become effective on or around Feb. 1, 2026.

A summary of the latest legislative and regulatory transport, logistics and trade sector updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Transportation Counsel firm Venable.

NCBFAA wishes you and your family Happy Holidays! And what better way to treat yourself than to register to attend the upcoming 2026 NCBFAA Annual Conference at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas, on April 12-15, 2026.

Hundreds of importers are dashing to the Court of International Trade to enjoin Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from assessing the IEEPA tariffs. But is it really necessary? And when will we know for sure? NCBFAA Customs Counsel Lenny Feldman of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. (ST&R) reflects upon these important questions.

A summary of the latest customs and cross-border trade regulatory updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Customs Counsel firm Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg.

Reminder to customs brokers: several Food and Drug Administration (FDA) registrations must be renewed by Dec. 31, 2025. This includes the FDA Drug Establishment Registration, the FDA Drug Listing and the Medical Device Establishment Registration.

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) published recent updates in the Agricultural Commodity Import Requirements (ACIR) regarding the importation of live bees from Canada.

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) continues to remind the trade that the temporary suspension of the hyphen requirement for ISPM‑15 markings on Wood Packaging Material will end on Dec. 31, 2025.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced Dec. 10 the authorization of Section 301 tariffs on Nicaragua products, excluding those originating under the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), citing the country’s continued human rights abuses and disregard for rule of law.

The NCBFAA Customs Committee and Counsel of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A., provide our customs broker members with the latest details of the White House tariff changes resulting from the implementation of the U.S.-Korea Strategic Trade and Investment Deal, as well as the related Customs and Border Protection (CBP) guidance, and the U.S.-U.K. Economic Prosperity Deal (EPD) regarding bilateral pharmaceuticals trade between the two countries. The Committee will continue sending our members Trump Administration tariff updates and subsequent CBP guidance, as soon as received.

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) informed the NCBFAA Regulatory Agencies Committee (RAC) that swine-derived casings from Spain are not allowed into the U.S., effective immediately.

A summary of the latest customs and cross-border trade regulatory updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Customs Counsel firm Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg.

The NCBFAA Regulatory Agencies Committee (RAC) has redesigned its U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Toolkit, highlighting new FAQs and other helpful resources to help customs brokers and importers prepare for the July 8, 2026 effective date. Check out the Toolkit resources as you get ready for CPSC certificate e-filing and let the RAC know if you have additional questions at RAC@ncbfaa.org.

Registration is filling up fast for the upcoming 2026 NCBFAA Annual Conference at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas, on April 12-15, 2026. You do not want to miss attending this industry-leading event! Register today!

A summary of the latest legislative and regulatory transport, logistics and trade sector updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Transportation Counsel firm Venable.

Customs and Border Protection in the Chicago Region, starting Dec. 1, will accept applications through Feb. 1, 2026, from firms interested in operating a Centralized Examination Station (CES) in the Port of Kansas City, Missouri Area.