The USDA is after me for ordering French Rations - NEW 5/21 UPDATES! This is happening! To everybody :-(

[MRECivvy]

Keep us updated if they show up at your door. Scary stuff...

[BTemple]

That's really messed up. I wonder if this is the beginning of a major move against selling of MREs on ebay or you just got really unlucky. I'm also curious if this will affect any of the various mre stores or stay limited to ebay. Please keep us updated on how this plays out.

This has already affected some online sellers, both on eBay and just online in general.
This is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

[mikeoverhere]

So no call back the second day, I will a second attempt at contact tomorrow.

In the meantime I looked up 9CFR 94 as referenced in the letter. 94.11.(b) is posted below. Correct me if I am reading it wrong but it seems to state that shelf stabilized canned meats are exempt. WTF? That covers any meat found in every ration I have ever seen except for maybe jerky and/or instant soup with meat! I have some serious questions for USDA (APHIS). Please, double check me and look up 9CFR section 94.11https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/9/94.11 and tell me if I am wrong. Maybe I am wrong about this all but I'm angry now.

[SNiiP3R]

shall have been prepared only in an inspected establishment that is eligible to have its products imported into the United States

The United States customs will deny entry of any type of beef , swine and poultry products, unless the facility in which the meat was prepared, has been approved by the USDA inspectors. In order to get the green light, the foreign facility must allow USDA inspectors to physically check their facility, another words, this will never happen. And let’s just assume that USDA did approve a foreign facility, you are still required to include bunch of paperwork when you import the product.

Also, when importing beef, swine and poultry from an unapproved foreign entity, and declaring the goods as “Camping Supplies” or “Dry food pack”. You are breaking the law, because you are no longer importing the goods, you are smuggling them. Customs could issue you a fine of $300 for each of the items.

[Staubsauger]

That's really messed up. I wonder if this is the beginning of a major move against selling of MREs on ebay or you just got really unlucky. I'm also curious if this will affect any of the various mre stores or stay limited to ebay. Please keep us updated on how this plays out.

This has already affected some online sellers, both on eBay and just online in general.
This is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

That's terrible news. I'm generally not one for panic buys but maybe it is time to stock up on some MREs..
I guess this will also have a huge impact on future ration reviews

[vespa]

Who knows, maybe after Brexit a free trade deal could be negotiated between the US and UK allowing exchange tariff free and goods being brought in without hindrance, if so we can obtain goods from Europe and ship it over, the UK could become a big warehousing hub of the world.

Wait and see how it turns out, we're almost toward the end of the process and I think we might be leaving on a no deal basis, which means we are not bound by EU custom rules.

[Mackeson]

Well that's a good idea isn't it, 'not bound by EU Custom rules' eh?

So, in fact we wont be importing anything into the UK to forward to the US or enjoy ourselves because OUR customs will reject the EU rations (and vice versa).

No deal may have been an option if we had just done it straight away, but now I think it will be a disaster for our economy. I personally do no think this is what will happen either.

Mack

[vespa]

We honestly don't know what will happen.

Its also in the EU interest to come to an arrangement, I've got the feeling it will be somewhere between Norway and Canada deal in the end.

I've brought rations from countries outside the EU without any issues.

[mikeoverhere]

UPDATE:

I made contact with USDA this morning. When I referenced 9CFR94.11.(b) which seems to list an exemption to the import rule, they said they had to go back and consult with the department that alerted her office to my eBay activity. That department was USDA Veterinary Services. Sniper, I am aware "The United States customs will deny entry of any type of beef , swine and poultry products, unless the facility in which the meat was prepared, has been approved by the USDA inspectors. In order to get the green light, the foreign facility must allow USDA inspectors to physically check their facility" however 9CFR94.11(b) says sterilized sealed (canned) products are an exception to the rule, unless I am misinterpreting that section. I will accept the possibility that an inspector might be required to inspect the plant producing the hermetically sealed sanitized products, but as Sniper says, that will never happen. They would also never know of any of tens of thousands of people might who mail such products over unless they go through some service such as eBay, or their package was randomly opened by Customs and said products were found. They would also not be able to inspect tens of thousands of manufacturers across the world. That these are military issue rations, and the manufacturers are most likely inspected or approved by the foreign country's government/military, perhaps all it would take is a USDA inspector to confirm with the government issuing the rations as to the products.

If this holds to being a real violation, they would have to go after every commercial and private shipper in every prohibited country that sends military rations or meat products to our country, unless inspected. Have they inspected every foreign shipper which the US gets meat products from? US gets meat products from around the world and if they think France is sketchy, all the other foreign countries in the Eastern Hemisphere can't be much better. I think Veterinary Services simply saw a transaction containing meat products being imported from a country on the prohibited list and they don't have a clue to the fact that its all sterilized products. My case handler certainly wasn't aware of 9CFR94.11.(b) or how it may apply. They did say the rules have recently changed. I hope for everyone's sake, this gets cleared up for all of us.

I now await a direct email from USDA after they consults with Veterinary Services to clear up this confusion.

[Salmon19]

Are they implying French RCIRs are pet food quality? Very insulting.