GAIN Reports from Wednesday, February 17, 2021

The following Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) reports were released on Wednesday, February 17, 2021.   China: China Notifies HPAI outbreak in Beijing Wild Swans On February 8, 2021, China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) notified the U.S. Embassy in Beijing that on February 1, 2021, China detected highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N8 subtype in wild swans in a nature park in Beijing. China also notified this HPAI outbreak to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and is monitoring the situation. China: Impact of RCEP on US Agricultural Exports to China On November 15, China joined 14 Asia-Pacific countries in signing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement. This is the first trade agreement between China and Japan. The implementation of the RCEP agreement is unlikely to change China's trade in agricultural products in the Asia-Pacific region and will have a minor impact on U.S. agricultural exports to China in the near future. Jamaica: Ban on Plastic The Government of Jamaica has implemented the third phase of a plastics ban, this final phase became effective January 1, 2021. The overall ban on plastics, implemented in 2019, focused on the import, manufacture, distribution and use of specific types of single-use plastic carriers. Japan: Japan 239th Food Safety Group On February 16, 2021, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced revisions to Japan's maximum residue levels for eight agricultural chemicals (Kasugamycin, Chloropicrin, Validamycin, Fenpropathrin, Prochloraz, 1-Methylcyclopropene, Trenbolone Acetate, and Dibutylhydroxytoluene). Interested U.S. parties are encouraged to submit their comments to PlantDivision@usda.gov by February 25, 2021. Japan will subsequently notify these revisions to the World Trade Organization, which will provide another opportunity to comment.   For more information, or for an archive of all FAS GAIN reports, please visit gain.fas.usda.gov/.     Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com. This service is provided to you at no charge by USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. This email was sent to ooseims.archieves@blogger.com using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service · 1400 Independence Avenue, SW · Washington, DC 20250