The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is amending its regulations to allow imports of jackfruit, pineapple, and starfruit from Malaysia to the continental United States. Under the March 19 final rule, jackfruit, pineapple, and starfuit imported from Malaysia must be irradiated for insect pests, inspected by the national plant protection organization of Malaysia, and imported only in commercial consignments, said APHIS. Each fruit will also be subject to additional commodity-specific requirements for other pests, it said. The final rule takes effect April 18.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes March 11 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 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes March 10 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 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes March 6 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 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will hold a teleconference on March 12 from 2:30-3:30 p.m. EDT with Administrator Kevin Shea and other senior officials to discuss the recently-passed farm bill. The “listening session” will begin with a short overview of the provisions of the Agricultural Act of 2014, signed into law by President Barack Obama on Feb. 7 (see 14021012). The officials will then hear comments from stakeholders, said APHIS. The time allotted to each comment will be limited to 3 minutes or less. Registration is required to listen in and participate on the call (here).
On March 4 the Foreign Agricultural Service posted the following GAIN reports:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes March 4 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 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes Feb. 28 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.
Pending legislative amendments to the Lacey Act would hurt the U.S. domestic timber industry and increase the risk of ecological damage by hampering the interagency ability to regulate illicit trafficking of environmental products and species, said government and industry officials and conservation advocates at a Feb. 27 congressional hearing. The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs hearing examined the Aquaculture Risk Reduction Act, HR-3105 (here), Lacey Act Clarifying Amendments Act, HR-3280 (here), The Lacey Act Paperwork Reduction Act, HR-3324 (here), and North Texas Invasive Species Barrier Act, HR-4032 (here).
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is allowing more time for public comments proposal to allow beef imports from certain regions in Brazil. The proposed rule, issued Dec. 23, would allow beef imports from the states of Bahia, Distrito Federal, Espirito Santo, Goias, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Parana, Rio Grande do Sul, Rio de Janeiro, Rondonia, Sao Paulo, Sergipe, and Tocantins (see 13122023). The beef would be subject to the same requirements currently in place for imports of beef and bovine meat from Uruguay, including that foot-and-mouth disease hasn’t been diagnosed in the exporting region of Brazil within the previous 12 months, and that the beef comes from bovines from premises where foot-and-mouth disease hasn’t been present during their lifetime. Comments are now due April 22.