News from AAFC’s Market Access Secretariat
August 18, 2023 – Update to the APHIS proposed rule on AQI Program
Pertaining to the proposed rule governing the Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection (AQI) program user fees published in the U.S. Federal Register on August 11, 2023, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is hosting six webinars for stakeholders impacted by each fee. Each of these webinar target a separate fee area and is expected to last for approximately 60 minutes. For those that are not able to attend the live session, a recording will be posted. The schedule for stakeholder webinar is below.
| Date | Time (ET) | Audience (Fee Area) |
| September 12, 2023 | 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. | Commercial Air and Air Passenger |
| September 12, 2023 | 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. | Commercial Truck |
| September 13, 2023 | 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. | Commercial Vessel |
| September 13, 2023 | 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. | Commercial Rail |
| September 14, 2023 | 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. | International Cruise |
| September 14, 2023 | 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. | Treatment Provider |
More information about the 2023 AQI user fee proposed rule and the associated stakeholder webinars is available from APHIS AQI User Fee webpage at USDA APHIS AQI User Fees.
August 17, 2023 – APHIS proposed rule on Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection Program
On August 10, 2023, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) published a proposed rule to amend regulations governing its Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection (AQI) program user fees. The AQI program is jointly administered by APHIS and the US Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which assures that cargo and passenger baggage entering the country is inspected for plant pests and potential sources of animal diseases that could affect US agriculture, trade and commerce. The proposed rule recommends increased user fees to cover the cost of the AQI program. The user fees is going to increase in a phased manner stating with the first increase in user fees on January 1, 2024 followed by next increase on October 1, 2024, and subsequently increasing every year on October 1 until 2027.
APHIS is currently seeking public comment on the proposed rule, which will remain open until October 10, 2023. In order to submit comments please go to www.regulations.gov and enter APPHIS-2022-0023 in the search field, select the Document tab and then select Comment button under the document titled, “User Fees for Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection Services”.
