The Food Safety and Inspection Service revised export requirements and plant lists for the following countries for June 21-27:
On June 27, the Foreign Agricultural Service posted the following GAIN reports:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes June 26 to Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals. While some changes are minor, other changes may affect the admissibility of the plant products, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
On June 26, the Foreign Agricultural Service posted the following GAIN reports:
The Food Safety and Inspection Service posted its final guidance for federally inspected establishments in the selection of commercial and private microbiological testing laboratories on its Web page (here). Criteria in the final guidance, effective Aug. 26, may be used by establishments that prepare meat, poultry, or processed egg products to select commercial or private microbiological testing laboratories. The criteria may also be used to determine the laboratories’ capability to produce accurate and reliable results about the safety of food products, FSIS said.
On June 25, the Foreign Agricultural Service posted the following GAIN reports:
The Agricultural Marketing Service is increasing its fees for voluntary federal dairy grading and inspection services. The final rule will increase fees by 10 percent effective Aug. 1, 2013, and another 10 percent in February 2014. Fees applicable to EU Health Certification Program derogation requests are unchanged, it said. AMS said the fee increases are necessary to cover the costs of the program, which must be entirely financed by user fees.
On June 24, the Foreign Agricultural Service posted the following GAIN reports:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued a proposed rule June 21 that would consolidate its regulations on permits for importation and interstate movement of plant and plant products. The proposal would create a single section of the import quarantine regulations that would apply permit application, approval, and revocation procedures to a wide variety of plants and plant products regulated under 7 CFR 319. The new permit requirements would also apply to importation of honeybees and honeybee semen, and noxious weeds. Comments on the proposed rule are due by Aug. 20.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes June 24 to Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals. While some changes are minor, other changes may affect the admissibility of the plant products, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers.