[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 183 (Wednesday, September 24, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Page 45932]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-18484]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Foreign Agricultural Service
Special Agricultural Safeguard Measures Pursuant to the Uruguay
Round Agreements Act
AGENCY: Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notification of invocation of special agricultural safeguard
duty on imports of blended syrups.
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SUMMARY: After reviewing the volume of imports of blended syrups
described in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS),
the Administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service has determined
that the yearly special safeguard trigger level has been met and a
special safeguard duty will be imposed effective from the date of this
notification through September 30, 2025.
DATES: Effective September 24, 2025 through September 30, 2025.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sonya Wahi-Miller, [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: U.S. Notes 1 and 2 to Subchapter IV, Chapter
99, of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS)
contain safeguard measures established pursuant to Article 5 of the
World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Agriculture, as approved
pursuant to section 101 of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (Pub. L.
103-465). These safeguard measures include the imposition of additional
duties based upon the volume of blended syrups described in additional
U.S. note 9 to chapter 17 imported into the United States. Subheadings
9904.17.73 through 9904.17.84 of the HTS provide for the imposition of
additional safeguard duties for blended syrups described in additional
U.S. note 9 to chapter 17 upon notification in the Federal Register by
the Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary's delegee that a specific
volume of imports has been exceeded. The trigger level for the period
October 1, 2024-September 30, 2025 for blended syrups described in
additional U.S. note 9 to chapter 17 is 758 metric tons (89 FR 55217,
July 3, 2024). Specifically, HTS subheadings 9904.17.73 through
9904.17.84 provide for additional duties, ranging from 5.6[cent]/kg of
total sugars + 1.7 percent to 23.5[cent]/kg + 2.8 percent.
Section 405(a) of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act requires, among
other things, that the President shall determine and cause to be
published in the Federal Register the list of special safeguard
agricultural goods and the applicable trigger prices and, on an annual
basis, quantity trigger levels. Section 405(b) of that Act provides, in
relevant part, that if the President determines with respect to a
special safeguard agricultural good that it is appropriate to impose
the volume-based safeguard, then the President shall determine the
amount of the duty to be imposed, the period such duty shall be in
effect, and any other terms and conditions applicable to the duty.
Further to the application of such special agricultural safeguard
duties, the President proclaimed on December 23, 1994 (Presidential
Proclamation No. 6763) the provisions of U.S. Notes 1 and 2 to
Subchapter IV, Chapter 99, of the HTS as well as the automatically
applicable safeguard duties set forth in such subchapter upon
satisfaction of the requisite conditions. Such U.S. Notes 1 and 2 set
forth the other terms and conditions for application of any such duty.
As also provided in Presidential Proclamation 6763, the President
delegated to the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to make the
determinations and effect the publications described in section 405(a)
of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act. The Secretary of Agriculture has
further delegated this authority to the Under Secretary for Trade and
Foreign Agricultural Affairs (7 CFR 2.15(a)(1)(xlii)), who has in turn
further delegated the authority to determine the quantity trigger
levels to the Administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service (7 CFR
2.601(a)(42)). The Administrator determined that the October 1, 2024-
September 30, 2025 trigger level for blended syrups described in
additional U.S. note 9 to chapter 17 is 758 metric tons (89 FR 55217,
July 3, 2024).
Notice
The Administrator has determined that the amount of blended syrups
described in additional U.S. note 9 to chapter 17 imported during the
October 1, 2024-September 30, 2025 period has exceeded the trigger
level of 758 metric tons. In accordance with U.S. Notes 1 and 2,
Subchapter IV, Chapter 99 of the HTS and HTS subheadings 9904.17.73,
9904.17.74, 9904.17.75, 9904.17.76, 9904.17.77, 9904.17.78, 9904.17.80,
9904.17.81, 9904.17.82, 9904.17.83, and 9904.17.84, additional duties
of 5.6 cents per kilogram of total sugars plus 1.7 percent; 5.6 cents
per kilogram of total sugars plus 1.7 percent; 11.3 cents per kilogram
of total sugars plus 1.7 percent; 11.3 cents per kilogram of total
sugars plus 1.7 percent; 11.3 cents per kilogram of total sugars plus
1.7 percent; 12.4 cents per kilogram plus 2.8 percent; 12.4 cents per
kilogram plus 2 percent; 10.2 cents per kilogram plus 2.8 percent; 10.2
cents per kilogram plus 2.8 percent; 23.5 cents per kilogram plus 2.8
percent; and 9.6 cents per kilogram plus 2.8 percent shall apply to
blended syrups described in additional U.S. note 9 to chapter 17
imported under HTS subheadings 1702.20.28, 1702.30.28, 1702.40.28,
1702.60.28, 1702.90.58, 1806.20.94, 1806.90.39, 2101.12.38, 2101.20.38,
2106.90.72, or 2106.90.91, respectively, from the date of publication
of this notice through September 30, 2025.
As provided in U.S. Note 1 to Subchapter IV, Chapter 99 of the HTS,
goods of Canada, Mexico, Jordan, Singapore, Chile, Australia, Morocco,
El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Bahrain, Dominican
Republic, Costa Rica, Peru, Oman, Korea, Colombia, and Panama imported
into the United States are not subject to such duty. As provided in
U.S. Note 2, this duty shall not apply to any goods en route on the
basis of a contract settled before the date of publication of this
notice.
Issued at Washington, DC.
Daniel B. Whitley,
Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-18484 Filed 9-23-25; 8:45 am]
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