Monday Morning eBriefing

The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) new Organics regulation continues to dominate the attention of many customs brokers and importers as the March 19 implementation date draws near.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Census Bureau announced that the Forwarding Agent party record name will be changed to Authorized Agent in AESDirect.

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

Airforwarder Association (AfA) and NCBFAA leaders had a call on Monday, Feb. 26, with the General Accountability Office (GAO) project committee assigned to review the airport cargo area truck throughput issue. At the conclusion of the call, GAO reviewers asked if our associations could recommend any individuals in the air cargo value chain who would be willing to talk with the GAO committee.

The Federal Maritime Commission expects to issue its long-awaited final rule on unreasonable carrier conduct “in the next couple of months,” FMC chair Daniel Maffei said this week. He also said the commission has seen a sharp rise in enforcement cases so far this year, and he and Commissioner Rebecca Dye said they are more closely probing Red Sea-related surcharges being assessed by ocean carriers.

The NCBFAA Regulatory Agencies Committee (RAC) created a Toolkit to help customs brokers navigate the new National Organic Program requirements as you prepare for March 19 – the date the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will begin a phased enforcement of the new rule.

There is still time to register to attend NCBFAA’s 51st Annual Conference at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa on April 14-17. Take advantage of the Early Bird pricing which starts as low as $945 for Regular Members and $1,245 for Non-Members, but this special deal ends March 15.

A group of U.S. business organizations, including NCBFAA, in a Feb. 29 letter voiced their support for the Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) and its goal to establish IT industry standards that help realize the long-standing goals of interoperability.

On behalf of NCBFAA's Board of Directors, Leadership and Staff, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and welcome All Borders Incorporated, All Points Holding, Blanca D. Dominguez Inc., Kambo Law, and Searates Holding FZE which have recently joined our association

Common carriers and marine terminal operators must start reviewing their current demurrage and detention billing process to ensure that their business practices fully comply with a new final rule issued by the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC or the Commission) on February 26, 2024.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently published this digital article, “The Quiet Enforcers: Behind the Scenes with CBP’s Fines, Penalties, and Forfeitures Division.”

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on March 2 initiated an ACE Certification (CERT) Environment deployment to require the Facilities Information and Resource Management System (FIRMS) code when arriving an in-bond for Non-Air.

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) released a final rule, effective March 8, that will remove and add export controls for certain cameras, systems, and related components.

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 Executive Vice President Megan Montgomery spoke at the 2024 NAFTZ Legislative Summit in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 27-28 to share our views on the outlook for the remainder of this year and into the next Congressional session.

The U.S. released a new round of Russia-related export controls and sanctions on Feb. 23, effective same day, which is the largest package since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has advised, effective Feb. 1, the Revenue Division will only accept the current version of CBP Form 5106.

USDA officials and NCBFAA Regulatory Agencies Committee (RAC) leaders will participate in a "sold-out" webinar on Feb. 26 to provide guidance to customs brokers on compliance with the National Organics Program Import Certificate, which will take effect March 19.

Breeze is a fully automated and digital insurance solution, specifically tailored for freight forwarders and logistics companies to offer cargo insurance to their customers on a per shipment basis.

On behalf of NCBFAA's Board of Directors, Leadership and Staff, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and welcome All Points Customs House Brokers, CargoFax, Charles Dorsch Ship’s Agent, Defy Logistics, Kappa Customs Brokers, Overseas Shipping, and SecureGlobal Logistics which have recently joined our association.