[Federal Register: March 9, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 45)] [Notices] [Page 11435-11437] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr09mr99-30] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Foreign Agricultural Service Uruguay Round Agricultural Safeguard Trigger Levels AGENCY: Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of product coverage and trigger levels for safeguard measures provided for in the Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: This notice lists the updated quantity trigger levels for products [[Page 11436]] which may be subject to additional import duties under the safeguard provisions of the Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture. It also includes the quantity level applicable to each of those products. EFFECTIVE DATE: March 9, 1999. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cathy S. McKinnell, Multilateral Trade Negotiations Division, Foreign Agricultural Service, room 5530-South Building, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250-1022 or telephone at (202) 720-6064. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Article 5 of the Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture provides that additional import duties may be imposed on imports of products subject to tariffication during the Uruguay Round if certain conditions are met. The agreement permits additional duties to be charged if the price of an individual shipment of imported products falls below the average price for similar goods imported during the years 1986-88 by a specified percentage. It also permits additional duties to be imposed if the volume of imports of an article exceeds the average of the most recent 3 years for which data are available by 5, 10, or 25 percent, depending on the article. These additional duties may not be imposed on quantities for which minimum or current access commitments were made during the Uruguay Round negotiations, and only one type of safeguard, price or quantity, may be applied at any given time to an article. Section 405 of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act requires that the President cause to be published in the Federal Register the agricultural products subject to safeguards, the price and quantity trigger levels which will be applied to these products, and the relevant period for the quantity based safeguard for each product. On Wednesday, January 4, 1995, the Secretary of Agriculture provided the above information including the definition of each product in the Notice of Safeguard Action published in the Federal Register at 60 FR 427. The President delegated this duty to the Secretary of Agriculture in Presidential Proclamation No. 6763, dated December 23, 1994. The Secretary of Agriculture further delegated the duty to the Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service, 7 CFR 2.43(a)(2). The quantity trigger levels must be updated annually based upon import levels during the most recent 3 years. The Annex to this notice contains the updated quantity trigger levels. Additional information on the levels of the additional duties and how they will be applied is provided in subchapter IV of chapter 99 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States. These duties became effective January 1, 1995. Notice As provided in section 405 of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act, consistent with Article 5 of the Agreement on Agriculture, the safeguard quantity trigger levels previously notified are superceded by the levels indicated in the Annex to this notice. Issued at Washington, DC this 2d day of March, 1999. Patrick M. Steel, Acting Associate Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service. Annex The definitions of these products were provided in the Notice of Safeguard Action published in the Federal Register, at 60 FR 427 on Wednesday, January 4, 1995. Quantity Based Safeguard Trigger: Beef......................... 891,203 mt. Mutton....................... 12,051 mt. Cream........................ 5,729,263 liters. Evaporated or Condensed Milk. 2,956,168 kilograms. Nonfat Dry Milk.............. 3,313,542 kilograms. Dried Whole Milk............. 1,864,488 kilograms. Dried Cream.................. 650 kilograms. Dried Whey/Buttermilk........ 222,488 kilograms. Butter....................... 6,193,405 kilograms. Butter Oil and Butter 5,812,414 kilograms. Substitutes. Dairy Mixtures............... 2,224,071 kilograms. Blue Cheese.................. 3,183,782 kilograms. Cheddar Cheese............... 11,139,531 kilograms. American Type Cheese......... 3,939,843 kilograms. Edam/Gouda Cheese............ 6,621,244 kilograms. Italian-Type Cheese.......... 15,148,033 kilograms. Swiss Cheese with Eye 33,559,160 kilograms. Formation. Gruyere Process Cheese....... 7,687,097 kilograms. Lowfat Cheese................ 3,874,332 kilograms. NSPF Cheese.................. 49,366,596 kilograms. Peanuts...................... 49,248 mt. Peanut Butter/Paste.......... 23,084 mt. Raw Cane Sugar............... 2,366,204 mt. Refined Sugar and Syrups..... 25,484 mt. Blended Syrups............... 0 mt. Articles Over 65% Sugar...... 0 mt. Articles Over 10% Sugar...... 80,282 mt. Sweetened Cocoa Powder....... 2,445 mt. Chocolate Crumb.............. 15,324,776 kilograms. Lowfat Chocolate Crumb....... 78 kilograms. Infant Formula Containing 45,383 kilograms. Oligosaccharides.. Mixes and Doughs............. 5,424 mt. Mixed Condiments and 253 mt. Seasonings. Ice Cream.................... 49,353 liters. Animal Feed Containing Milk.. 1,622,296 kilograms. Short Staple Cotton.......... 17,211,112 kilograms. Harsh or Rough Cotton........ 0 mt. Medium Staple Cotton......... 9,664 kilograms. Extra Long Staple Cotton..... 32,995 kilograms. [[Page 11437]] Cotton Waste................. 13,378 kilograms. Cotton, Processed, Not Spun.. 383 kilograms. [FR Doc. 99-5688 Filed 3-8-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410-10-P