The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes May 30 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.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service revised export requirements and plant lists for the following countries for May 24-30:
On May 29, the Foreign Agricultural Service posted the following GAIN reports:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes May 29 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 May 28, the Foreign Agricultural Service posted the following GAIN reports:
On May 24-27, the Foreign Agricultural Service posted the following GAIN reports:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is reopening the comment period until June 12 on its proposals to allow imports of avocados (here) and apricots (here) from Spain to the continental U.S. APHIS issued the avocado and apricot proposals in January (see 13012924 and 13012926, respectively). Comments were originally due April 1, but APHIS said it will also accept comments submitted between the close and reopening of the comment period (i.e., between April 2 through May 28).
User fees for cotton producers for 2013 crop cotton classification services will remain at $2.20 per bale, the same as in 2011 and 2012, said the Agricultural Marketing Service. According to AMS, this fee and the existing reserve are enough to cover the costs of providing classification services for the 2013 crop, including costs for administration and supervision.
A referendum on certain provisions of the Cotton Research and Promotion Order is unnecessary, said the Agricultural Marketing Service, but the agency will nonetheless accept referendum requests from importers and producers to hold a vote. AMS is required by law to consider holding a referendum every five years on 1990 changes to the cotton order, including elimination of assessment refunds to producers and assessments on imported cotton. After an initial referendum approved the changes in 1991, AMS said votes weren’t needed in 1996, 2001, and 2006. This time, following a request for comments on those provisions (see 11060126), AMS said once again that no referendum is necessary. But if enough importers and producers of cotton send requests for a vote, the agency will hold one.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes May 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.