CBP Updates List of Fruits/Vegetables Eligible for NARP
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted updated versions of Appendices 4 and 5 to the National Agriculture Release Program (NARP) guidelines, which list commodities eligible for NARP. NARP provides a methodology for evaluating high-volume agriculture imports that are low-risk for the introduction of plant pests and plant diseases into the U.S.
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The appendices list fresh fruit and vegetable commodities from specific countries that meet the requirements for inclusion in NARP and the frozen or semi-processed/processed fruits and vegetables that are currently approved for NARP. Among other things, these commodities may be inspected at reduced rates.
Appendix 5 (frozen, semi-processed and processed fruits and vegetables) has been updated to remove the eligibility of certain commodities from Canada from the list. No substantive changes were made to the list in Appendix 4. (The lists include the fruit or vegetable country, commodity, and scientific names; tariff number; and the NARP rate of examination.)
Five Fruits/Vegetables from Canada Removed from NARP List
Appendix 5 has been updated to reflect the removal of certain fruits and vegetables from Canada as being eligible for NARP, as follows:
| Country |
| All Countries(except Canada) |
| All Countries(except Canada) |
| All Countries(except Canada) |
| All Countries(except Canada) |
| All Countries(except Canada) |
(Note only the country and commodity names have been listed, for scientific names, tariff numbers, and the rates of examination, see Appendix 5.)
Trade May Request That a Commodity be Added to the NARP List
According to CBP's NARP frequently asked questions document, the trade may request that a commodity be included in the NARP program.
Requests must be made in writing and sent to the local CBP Port Director. The commodity request must include the country of origin, and the common and scientific name(s) of the fresh, frozen, processed fruit(s) and vegetable(s). CBP Headquarters and the Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS) must approve the request.
(See ITT's Online Archives or 01/30/09 news, 09013010, for BP summary of the NARP commodity list being updated in January 2009.)
Appendices 4 and 5 (Version 1.2, posted 06/03/09, dated March 2009) available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/border_security/port_activities/agro_inspection/narp/narp_commodities.ctt/narp_commodities.pdf
BP Note
According to CBP's NARP informational notice, NARP began prior to the creation of CBP as the Border Cargo Release (BCR) program on the southern border. BCR expedited the entry of high-volume, low-risk commodities entering from Mexico. NARP expands the BCR program to include some agricultural commodities from Mexico as well as other foreign countries.
According to the NARP FAQs, NARP uses selective criteria to systematically sample, providing greater accuracy in measuring pest risk on regulated agricultural commodities and ensures program integrity. NARP can be rapidly adjusted to changing risk profiles without compromising agriculture quarantine and plant health safeguards.
To be eligible for NARP, commercial shipments in the same inspectional unit (e.g., container, truck, or vessel compartment) must contain a single commodity or a mix of commodities on the approved list for NARP.
Commercial shipments of fresh, frozen, processed and semi-processed fruits and vegetables from specific countries may be eligible for NARP. Provisions for animal products are not included in the program.
Approval to include an agricultural commodity in NARP is determined by the commodity and its country of origin and is applied at ports nationwide.