The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is announcing that effective August 11, 2011, it is authorizing the importation into the continental United States of fresh papaya fruit from Malaysia. Based on the findings of a pest risk analysis and associated comments, APHIS states that the application of one or more designated phytosanitary measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks of introducing or disseminating plant pests or noxious weeds. (D/N APHIS-2011-0013)
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared a pest risk analysis that evaluates the risks associated with the importation into the continental U.S. of fresh Cape gooseberry fruit (Physalis peruviana L.) with husks from Chile. The analysis concludes that the application of one or more designated phytosanitary measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks of introducing or disseminating plant pests or noxious weeds via their importation. Comments are due by October 11, 2011. (D/N APHIS-2010-0023)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued instructions on using the Remote Location Filing "Hybrid Process" when paper form Other Government Agency documents must be filed with CBP in conjunction with the RLF data in ACS or ACE. CBP also lists the paper OGA documents that are ineligible for hybrid filings.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has updated the following PPQ electronic manuals as of August 8, 2011 (since August 5):
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Joint Agency Task Force has issued a report on its progress in implementing 2007 action plans to address concerns regarding the 2003 transfer of the agricultural inspection function from APHIS to CBP. Pending items to accomplish include creating cargo performance measures and a penalty review process.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued its Significant Summary Report of the CBP-APHIS Joint Agency Quality Assurance Plan for fiscal year 2010. The summary identifies agricultural inspection activities at specific ports that were found to either be meritorious or deficient. For example, at the Port of Long Beach, the review team determined that the cargo release program for regulated cargo was invalid.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has updated the following PPQ electronic manuals as of August 4, 2011 (since July 28, 2011):
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued a proposed rule to amend the fruits and vegetables regulations to allow the importation of tomatoes from the member States of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) into the continental U.S. As a condition of entry, tomatoes from the ECOWAS would be subject to a systems approach that would include requirements for pest exclusion at the production site, fruit fly trapping and monitoring, and procedures for packing the tomatoes. The tomatoes would also be required to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the national plant protection organization of the exporting country with an additional declaration that the tomatoes had been produced in accordance with the proposed requirements. Comments are due by October 3, 2011.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has announced the following recent updates in its Animal Export Regulations History:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is advising the public that it has prepared pest risk analyses that evaluate the risks associated with the importation into the continental U.S. of fresh pitaya and pomegranates from Mexico. Based on these analyses, APHIS believes that the application of one or more designated phytosanitary measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks of introducing or disseminating plant pests or noxious weeds via the importation of fresh pitaya and pomegranates from Mexico. Comments are due by October 3, 2011.