U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will begin collecting fees on imports of pecans and Christmas trees which are subject to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) fees beginning November 5, 2023. Previously these fees were paid directly to the AMS Boards.
Impacted tariffs include:
Pecans (rate $0.02 per pound on inshell pecans; $0.04 per pound on shelled pecans):
- 0802.99.1000 (in shell pecans), and
- 0802.99.1500 (shelled pecans)
Christmas Trees (rate $0.15 per tree):
- 0604.20.0020 (Douglas fir fresh Christmas trees),
- 0604.20.0040 (Other fir fresh Christmas trees), and
- 0604.20.0060 (Other fresh Christmas trees)
Exemptions:
- There are exemptions importers may apply to the respective AMS Board (American Pecan Promotion Board or Christmas Tree Board) if:
- certified organic,
- Pecans when importing less than 50,000 pounds of inshell pecans, or 25,000 pounds of shelled pecans on average for four fiscal periods.
- Christmas trees when importing less than 500 trees in a fiscal period.
Revenue generated by these assessments is used to finance research and promotion programs designed to increase consumer demand for these products in the U.S. and international markets.
Questions may be directed to your Livingston Account Manager.