APHIS Core Transition To ACE
What Is APHIS Core?
AHIS Core is the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). APHIS monitors the import of the commodities detailed below. APHIS CORE is scheduled to transition to the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) electronic reporting system on January 25, 2021. This means it will be mandatory to report APHIS information electronically for those commodities covered under APHIS Core.
What Commodities Are Affected?
Animals and Animal Products
a) Live Animals
b) Related Animal Products:
c) Animal Meats -
- Animal Meats - Beef, Pork, Chicken etc…
- Used Farm Machinery
- Raw Animal Skins
d) Animal by-products - Products harvested or manufactured from livestock other than muscle meat - some examples are listed below
- Pet Foods Ingredients - Thermally Processed (dehydrated)
- Fat
- Flesh
- Blood
- Milk (itself and as an ingredient)
- Eggs (itself and as an ingredient)
Plants and Plant Products
- Fruits and Vegetables
- Plants For Planting
- Cut Flowers
- Seeds Not For Planting
Miscellaneous and Processed Products - Examples listed below
- Pine Cones
- Bamboo
- Burlap and Jute Bags
- Soil - Growing Medium
- Broomcorn and Straw
- Grasses
Animal Care
- Canines (Dogs) and Other Live Animals coming from screwworm infected Countries
Biotechnology Regulatory Services
a) Genetically Engineered Organisms - engineered to be resistant to herbicides, insects, viruses, or Altered Fatty Acid Compositions etc. Examples of commodities modified:
- Soybean
- Corn
- Canola
- Plum
- Rice
- Tobacco
- Maize
- Coho Salmon Faster Maturation
- Herbicide Tolerance
- Insect Resistance
- Altered Fatty Acid Composition
- Virus Resistance
- Vitamin Enrichment
- Vaccines
- Oral Vaccines
What Additional Information Will I Need To Provide With My Entry?
The information below is in addition to the documentation already required at the time of import and depends on the commodity and country of origin of the product. Some of the common additional data elements will be:
- The Scientific Name (Genus and Species) for the product or source of the product you are importing
- The Common Name
- Country of Harvest or Place of Growth (one or the other not both): Country must be indicated on the invoice preceded by the word “Harvested”
or “Place of Growth” - Country Shipment Originated: Transit Country - only required if it transits another country. Must indicate if shipment was transshipped (example: coming from Canada, but originating in a different country)
- A copy of any Certificates, Licenses or Permits required for entry
- The physical state of the commodity - Live, Fresh, Frozen etc.
- Customs Reporting Quantity - Number of Plants, Kilograms etc.
When And How Do I Need To Start Providing This Information?
You can start providing this information immediately or any time prior to January 25, 2021. The additional information needs to appear on your invoice. You can also provide this information to your account manager for goods you ship on a regular basis so we can load it into our database. The sooner we start transmitting the information the easier the transition will be for you.
What If My Goods Can Be Imported Under The De Minimis Provision (Section 321), Will I Be Exempt From Reporting?
No. The De minimis provision, for shipments valued under $800.00 USD, allows for importing the goods without the payment of duties and taxes however, it does not exempt you from APHIS reporting requirements.
