User fees, inspection fees levied against commercial vehicles entering the U.S. from Canada
By Julie King | June 5, 2007
Effective June 1, 2007, inspection and user fees will be levied against all commercial trucks and loaded railroad cars entering the United States from Canada.
The fees follow the passing of an Interim Rule, “Agricultural Inspection and AQI (Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection) User Fees Along the U.S./Canada Border”, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on August 25, 2006.
The rule removes exemptions from two main categories:
- inspection fees for fruits and vegetables grown in Canada; and
- user fees for all commercial vessels, commercial trucks, commercial railroad cars, commercial aircraft, and international air passengers entering the United States from Canada
On May 20, 2007 APHIS announced its decision to implement user and inspection fees, in coordination with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP), effective June 1, 2007.
The APHIS rule has been enacted in several phases:
- January 1, 2007: APHIS begins to collect user fees from international air passengers entering the U.S. from Canada.
- March 1, 2007: APHIS begins to collect user fees from commercial aircraft and vessels.
- June 1, 2007: APHIS begins to collect user fees from commercial trucks and railroad cars.
The Government of Canada is working to have the Rule removed. Their official position is that the Rule should be withdrawn and that a science-based methodology can be used to address legitimate issues about things such as the cross-border movement of commodities such as fruits and vegetables. A bilateral working group was created in October 2006 to identify alternative ways to address the concerns set out in the Rule.
"Canada's New Government is disappointed with the USDA's decision to proceed today with implementation of the interim rule as it relates to land conveyances. We stand by our position that this rule should be withdrawn, as Canadian agricultural exports continue to be low risk,” said Chuck Strahl, Minister of Agriculture & Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board and David Emerson, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics.
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