More Inspections Planned for Tomato and Pepper Imports Due to APHIS Order, CBP Says
CBP will perform more inspections on “imported tomato and pepper fruit, seed lots and transplants entering at all U.S. ports of entry beginning Friday, Nov. 22, to prevent the introduction of Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus and protect the multi-billion…
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dollar U.S. tomato and pepper production industry," the agency said in a news release. The increased inspections are a result of a Nov. 15 federal order from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The federal order restricts "imports of tomato and pepper seed lots and transplants from all countries as well as restrictions on tomato and pepper fruit consignments imported from Mexico, Canada, Israel, and the Netherlands," CBP said. APHIS will require that "all imported tomato and pepper seed lots along with other propagative plant materials be tested and/or certified free of the disease" and "all tomato and pepper fruit commercial shipments imported from Mexico, Israel, Canada and the Netherlands to be inspected and certified free of disease symptoms." According to a notice from CBP's Laredo, Texas, field office posted by a local brokers association, "the order will increase inspections and document verifications at time of entry from Mexico, Canada, Israel, and Netherlands."