The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will transition its PPQ 585 timber permits and PPQ 546 postentry quarantine permits to its online eFile system beginning March 7, it said. “Effective March 7, 2022, PPQ will no longer issue new or renewed Postentry Quarantine or Timber permits through ePermits. You will need to submit a new application using APHIS eFile,” APHIS said. “All active Postentry Quarantine and Timber permits issued through ePermits will remain valid until permit expiration.”
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Inspections and imports of fresh avocado from Mexico have resumed, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced Feb. 18. The agency previously suspended avocado export program operations in the Mexican state of Michoacan, the only Mexican state currently authorized for the export of avocados, on Feb. 11 after a threatening phone call was received by an APHIS official conducting an inspection (see 2202140039).
Inspections and imports of fresh avocado from Mexico have resumed, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced on Feb. 18. The agency previously suspended avocado export program operations in the Mexican state of Michoacan, the only Mexican state currently authorized for the export of avocados, on Feb. 11 after a threatening phone call was received by an APHIS official conducting an inspection.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced it will continue to allow importers to file electronic copies of phytosanitary certificates for plant commodities until Sept. 30, it said Feb. 14, as expected (see 2202070048). The agency had previously delayed the end the policy of accepting copies Jan. 1 (see 2112100059), before postponing again until March 31 (see 2112290032). The policy is in place to mitigate challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America asked for the latest extension. "Starting October 1, 2022, APHIS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will accept only original phytosanitary certificates and forms for plant commodities," APHIS said.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service on Feb. 11 suspended avocado export program operations in the Mexican state of Michoacan, after a “security incident” that included a verbal threat to an APHIS employee, an agency spokesperson emailed Feb. 14. “The suspension will remain in place for as long as necessary to ensure the appropriate actions are taken, to secure the safety of APHIS personnel working in Mexico,” the spokesperson said.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will continue to accept electronic copies of phytosanitary certificates and forms until Sept. 30, the agency told the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America in a letter dated Feb. 3 and subsequently released by the NCBFAA. APHIS has been accepting the electronic copies through CBP’s Document Image System as a measure to mitigate COVID-19 disruptions, and had been set to end the policy prior to an NCBFAA letter asking for an extension sent in mid-January (see 2201180050).
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is proposing to allow importation of three species of dwarf maple -- Acer buergerianum, A. palmatum, and A. pseudosieboldianum -- from South Korea into the United States, subject to certain phytostanitary requirements, it said in a notice released Jan. 28. Comments are due April 1.