In the May 25, 2017, Federal Register, USDA's AMS adopted without change, as a final rule, an interim rule that updated reporting and notification requirements associated with the fruit, vegetable, and specialty crop import regulations for certain commodities regulated under section 608(e) ("8e regulations") of the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937. The interim rule also made clarifying changes. The interim rule shifted the exempt reporting requirement for imported tomatoes destined for noncommercial outlets for experimental purposes from the tomato import regulations to the safeguard procedures section of the vegetable import regulations. In addition, the pistachio import regulations were updated by removing reference to a paper-based notification of entry process. Other administrative changes were made to several of the 8e regulations to replace outdated information. These changes to the import regulations support the International Trade Data System, a system that streamlines and automates the filing of import and export information by the trade. The rule was effective May 30, 2017.
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