The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes Nov. 21 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 Nov. 19 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 Nov. 15 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 allow imports of Swiss chard from Colombia into the continental U.S., after a pest risk analysis found that imposing phytosanitary requirements on shipments would mitigate risks. Effective Nov. 20, APHIS will allow Swiss chard imports, provided that they are imported in commercial consignments, and are accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate from the Colombian government saying that the shipment is free of Copitarsia incommoda and Liriomyza huidobrensis. The Swiss chard shipments will also be subject to inspection at the port of entry.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will allow imports of fresh beans from Jordan, subject to certain conditions. The APHIS final rule, which takes effect Dec. 19, authorizes imports of French, green, snap, and string beans, shelled and in pods, as long as the beans are packed in an approved facility, washed in potable water, cut or shredded to specified sizes, and imported in commercial consignments. The beans also need to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes Nov. 14 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 Nov. 13 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 issued a final rule to allow imports of ovine meat from Uruguay, effective Nov. 29, subject to strict conditions to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease (FMD). The requirements include veterinary inspections of the sheep before and after slaughter, periodic inspections of facilities by APHIS representatives, and a certificate from the government of Uruguay. Sheep from regions where foot and mouth disease has been present in their lifetimes would not be eligible for import. And if foot and mouth disease is found in Uruguay, a ban on imports of ovines from Uruguay would come into effect for 12 months, APHIS said.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service listed plant and soil commodities that do not require written permits to transit the U.S., in an update to its transit permit webpage. The transit permits are required by APHIS in advance of arrival for plants, plant products, plant pests, or soil that will move through the U.S. in the form of transportation and exportation or immediate exportation entries. APHIS said the following commodities don’t need written transit permits:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced on the grand opening on Nov. 7 of an expanded plant inspection station in Atlanta. The “state-of-the-art hub” will allow APHIS to keep up with an ever increasing volume of fresh cut flowers and live plants imported into the U.S., said Osama El-Lissy, deputy administrator-APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ). “This expansion will expedite shipment processing by allowing for the simultaneous inspection of multiple shipments, making it just one example of USDA’s overall effort to facilitate and expand trade with our partners worldwide,” he said. The new facility will also include an operations control center to ensure the safety of entering agricultural products, water saving and energy conservation fixtures, and laboratories and inspection rooms that exceed current engineering and safety requirements, APHIS said.