HSU 2623 contains Section 232 updates and changes to assessment reduction rates for live porcine animals and pork products under the Pork Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order.

A Section 232 measure is a U.S. trade action addressing imports that are determined to affect national security. It may impose, change, or remove additional import requirements, such as a tariff or an exemption, for covered products. The product scope is normally identified by Harmonized System (HS) or HTS classification, so the measure may affect importers, exporters, customs brokers, and other parties handling the listed goods.

This update also refers to live porcine animals and pork products covered by the Pork Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order. That order concerns a government-authorized industry assessment, often called a checkoff, and an assessment reduction rate is not necessarily the same thing as a customs duty rate. Importers should separately verify the Section 232 treatment, the correct HTS classification, and any applicable pork assessment or reduction rules. The official measure text and current tariff data control.

What to check

• Confirm the product’s complete HTS classification, including the relevant statistical suffix, using its physical characteristics, processing, and intended use.
• Check the official Section 232 measure data for the product’s scope, country rules, quota or exclusion provisions, and any additional reporting or entry requirements.
• Determine whether the goods are live porcine animals, fresh or frozen pork, or another pork product, because product form and processing can change the applicable classification.
• Keep the customs duty analysis separate from any Pork Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order assessment; verify whether an assessment reduction applies and how it must be reported.
• Ask a licensed customs broker or trade counsel to review borderline classifications, origin questions, and overlapping measures before entry.