APHIS Set to Begin Risk-Based Sampling at Ports in N.J., P.R, Hawaii and Texas
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will on Oct. 1 begin risk-based sampling of shipments of plants for planting at the plant inspection stations in Linden, N.J.; San Juan, P.R.; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Houston, Texas. The agency will use a statistical approach to sampling imports brought through these locations, which will help focus APHIS targeting efforts and will “help in expediting the inspection process of low-risk plants entering the U.S.,” APHIS said.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
In the four plant inspection sections selected for risk-based sampling, all plants for planting will be “sampled at a rate that will provide sufficient data to evaluate the level of risk,” APHIS said. The risk-based sampling means the agency will need more time to inspect some shipments, and more samples may be inspected at the discretion of the APHIS inspector, it said. To speed up the process, importers should make sure they have enough staff available to unload samples for inspection, because APHIS does not provide loading or unloading services, the agency said.