Imports of Dracaena plants from Costa Rica to the continental U.S. will be allowed, with certain conditions, effective July 26, said the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in a final rule. The conditions will apply to plants less than 460 mm in length, which are currently allowed to be imported, and will also allow for the importation of plants over 460 mm and up to 1,371.6 mm in length, which are currently prohibited.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced it created a new website (here) to provide stakeholders with information about the commodity import approval process for plants and plant products and give them the opportunity to consult with APHIS on risk assessments as they are being drafted.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued emails June 18 announcing changes to some 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 emails June 15 announcing changes to some 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.
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service added new commodities to the Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM) exempted host list. In its revised Federal Order, APHIS said the following commodities are now exempted: Allium cepa (onion); Allium sativum (garlic); Citrullus lanatus, Citrullus vulgaris (watermelon); Coriander sativum (cilantro); Cucumis melo (various melons); Daucus carota (carrot); Foeniculum vulgare (fennel); Gossypium hirsutum, Gossypium barbadense (cotton); Pistacia vera (pistachio); Prunus amygdalus, Prunus dulcis (almond); Punica granatum (pomegranate); Taraxacum officinale (dandelion green); and Ziziphus jujube (jujube).
Several industry associations voiced their support for the proposed rule on the importation of live bovines and products derived from bovines with regard to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, commonly known as mad cow disease), published by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service on March 16. The California Cattlemen’s Association, National Milk Producers Association, and Montana Stockgrowers Association all submitted favorable comments on June 14 to APHIS on the rule, which would provide for new risk-based conditions by establishing a system for classifying regions as to BSE risk that is largely consistent with the system employed by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued emails June 13 announcing changes to some 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 comment period on the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s March 2012 proposed rule on conditions of importation of bovines and bovine products with regard to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE, or mad cow disease) should be extended by another 60 days following completion of the Department of Agriculture’s epidemiological investigation of the recently detected BSE case in California, said the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund -- United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA) in comments submitted to APHIS.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection posted documents on changes to the Customs and Trade Interface Requirements (CATAIR) Appendix G, which lists common errors. Changes include the addition of a new code list for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), and removed code related to ‘Importation & Transportation of Controlled Material & Organisms and Vectors Restriction and Precaution statement (VS16-6)’, etc. CBP also recently posted the change record for the CATAIR chapter on the PGA Message Set.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service amended the fruits and vegetables regulations to allow imports of tomatoes from the member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) into the continental U.S., effective July 12. As a condition of entry, tomatoes from ECOWAS will be subject to a systems approach that includes requirements for pest exclusion at the production site, fruit fly trapping and monitoring, and procedures for packing the tomatoes, APHIS said. The tomatoes will also be required to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the national plant protection organization of the exporting country, APHIS said, with an additional declaration that the tomatoes have been produced in accordance with these requirements.