ALERT: USDA AMS Requirements Go Live in ACE on February 22, 2022

ALERT: USDA AMS Requirements Go Live in ACE on February 22, 2022

The date for mandatory AMS electronic filing for goods listed under Section 8e has been established. Customs Border Protection (CBP) has completed the ACE enhancements for mandatory ACE filing for the commodities listed below which is February 2, 2022.

Refer to AMS Marketing Order/Section 8e – Full details of the order can be found on the following link: https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/section8e

Section 8e requires specific imported fruit, vegetables, and other crops to meet the same or be comparable to the standards of domestic products. These specific commodities include avocados, grapefruit, kiwifruit, onions, potatoes, table grapes, field-grown tomatoes, pistachios, dates, hazelnuts (filberts), olives, raisins, and walnuts. If you import any of these commodities, detailed USDA requirements can be accessed via the above link.

It is imperative for importers to read the details for each commodity to determine the requirements within Section 8e, as each commodity has requirements for specific varieties and/or amounts.

USDA reminds importers they are responsible for ensuring their products meet specific quality control standards at the time of importation. USDA has set quality specifications for each product and will enforce them by requiring the importers to declare the shipment details to USDA AMS at the time of entry and making the cargo available for examination, if required, after delivery to the importer’s premises or other locations.

Section 8e has been put in place to facilitate the growth of agricultural industries. With these requirements in place, they hope to increase sales, buyer satisfaction and repeat purchases. They are also hoping to avoid any market disruption that may come from the distribution of low-quality products.

Importers should become familiar with the penalties for violations of the provisions and understand the entry processing timeline as USDA AMS will not notify the broker of results.

Please contact your Western Overseas representative with any questions.