The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued emails May 24 and 25, 2012, 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.
New activity is described in three areas of ACE development (reports, exports, and liquidation) in the Trade Support Network's Monthly Committee Report for April 2012. Members of the Account Management Committee and the Broker Account Subcommittee provided 15 recommendations for ACE reports, including making user fee breakouts available. The Automated Export (AE) Task Group and the MMM, Export, and ITDS Committees worked on ACE automated export user requirements. The Liquidation Committee reported that web-based bulletin notice of liquidation remains under review in the Office of Regulations and Rulings.
The International Plant Protection Convention is seeking comments on the following draft International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs): (1) Draft Annex to ISPM 11: Pest risk analysis for plants as quarantine pests (2005-001); and (2) Draft revision of Annex 1 to ISPM 15: Approved treatments associated with wood packaging material (2006-011). Comments are due by September 30, 2012.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued emails May 22, 2012, 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 Website for the International Trade Data System has posted (1) an updated ACE Portal Access Application (this form may be used for PGAs applying for access to ACE as well as to make any changes or updates to an existing PGA user account in ACE) and (2) an updated PGA Roster.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued emails May 18, 2012, 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 Plant Health Inspection Service is tracing 10-12 potential birth cohort cattle of the dairy cow that was confirmed positive for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) (commonly known as mad cow disease), it said in an update May 18. APHIS also said samples of the BSE-positive dairy cow were sent to The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) reference laboratories in Canada and England. Both laboratories have confirmed that the index cow was positive for atypical (L-type) BSE, according to APHIS.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said it's reopening the period to submit comments on its proposed rule to provide for new risk-based conditions for the importation of live bovines and products derived from bovines with regard to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, commonly known as mad cow disease), published in the Federal Register on March 16, 2012. APHIS is now accepting comments until June 14, 2012. Comments on the proposed rule were originally due by May 15, 2012, but APHIS said it will accept comments that were submitted in the interim period between that date and publication of this extension of the comment period.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will begin issuing permits for the importation into the continental U.S. of fresh celery, arugula, and spinach from Colombia effective May 18, 2012, it said in a notice. APHIS said importation will be subject to the following phytosanitary measures: (1) must be imported as commercial shipments only; (2) each consignment must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the national plant protection organization of Colombia, including an additional declaration for celery and spinach that each consignment has been inspected and is free of pests; and (3) each shipment is subject to inspection upon arrival at the port of entry into the continental U.S.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued emails May 16, 2012, 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.