(Christina
DiMartino — Produce News Daily)
U.S. Customs & Border Protection is in the midst of a trial program that
uses smartphone technology to enable the release of inspected cargo on site and
in real time.
The agency announced the pilot program in September.
Prior to the implementation of the program, CBP officers and agriculture
specialists conducted inspections and the subsequent release of cargo was
delayed until field personnel returned to the office site to enter inspection
results into CBP data systems.
Enforcement Link to Mobile Operations-Cargo, being referred to as ELMOcargo,
accesses cargo targeting data and permits field personnel to release the cargo
in real-time at the conclusion of the inspection. ELMOcargo significantly
decreases the time an importer has to wait for cargo that has been cleared.
Read more here.
