On August 23, 2010, APHIS updated the Manual for Agricultural Clearance. The manual provides CBP personnel working at airport and maritime locations with the guidelines, directions, and policy for clearing carriers and passengers/crew and controlling garbage and cargo.
On August 20, 2010, APHIS updated its PPQ Export Program Manual. This is an operational manual for Authorized Certification Officials to enable them to inspect and issue Federal Export Certificates for plants and plant products. The Manual also provides information that helps exporters meet the plant quarantine import requirements of foreign countries.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announces the availability of three pest risk analyses that evaluate, respectively, the risks associated with the importation into the continental U.S. of fresh celery, arugula, and spinach from Colombia. Comments are due by October 25, 2010.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued a final rule, with changes, an interim rule that amended the phytosanitary treatment regulations for cold treatment enclosures and procedures, including regulations for precooling temperatures and temperature recording devices, for treating fruits, vegetables, and other articles to prevent the introduction or dissemination of plant pests or noxious weeds into or through the U.S.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is coordinating an Interagency Import Safety Conference for October 21, 2010.
The International Trade Data System has posted the Executive Summary of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s ITDS concept of operations (ConOps) gap analysis of CBP’s ConOps and the ConOps of key admissibility Participating Government Agencies.
On August 18, 2010, APHIS updated its Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) Canadian Border Agricultural Clearance Manual. This Manual serves as a guide for authorized Federal officers at ports of entry along the Canadian Border.
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on August 13, 2010, granted a request by opponents of genetically engineered (GE) crops to vacate the deregulation of genetically engineered sugar beets by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, as the agency did not conduct an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) beforehand. The court denied the petitioner’s request for a permanent injunction.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced on August 16, 2010 the opening of a new plant inspection station for imported plants in Miami, Fla. APHIS states that Miami is the busiest plant inspection location in the U.S., handling 78.5 percent of all propagative plant material imported in 2009. The original facility was no longer able to handle the volume of plant materials received at the Miami port on a daily basis.
Various U.S. government agencies are seeking comments on the following information collections for which they have requested or intend to request Office of Management and Budget approval or extension of approval (see notices for specific details):