Important updates for dairy and rice importers

Effective August 1, 2011, an assessment (tax) on imported dairy products goes into effect.  Each importer of dairy products will be required to pay an assessment rate of $00.01327/kilogram (kg) on milk solids for dairy products.  The products affected are any that contain milk or milk solids including but not limited to: milk, cream, buttermilk, sour cream, yogurt, cheese, butter, margarine, lactose and lactose syrup, chocolate and food preparations containing cocoa, ice cream, casein, milk albumin, and food products containing dried milk. 

For more detailed information on this assessment and the products affected, please go to: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-03-18/pdf/2011-6322.pdf

U.S. Customs and Border Protection will enforce a federal quarantine order beginning July 30 that restricts the importation of rice into the U.S. from countries with known Khapra beetle infestations.  There have been an increasing number of detections of infested shipments at U.S. ports which pose a serious threat to stored agricultural products in the United States.

Commercial shipments of rice originating from several near Eastern, middle Eastern and African countries  – including India, Pakistan, Turkey, Sudan, Egypt and others – where the Khapra beetle is known to occur must now be inspected and must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration stating that the shipment was inspected and found free of Khapra beetles.

For more detailed information, please go to: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/national/07252011.xml