The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will classify Canada as having Level I risk for both bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis, it said in a notice released Dec. 23. Level I is the least restrictive level in APHIS’s bovine importation scheme, and allows imports of sexually intact bovines without a certificate or other restrictions. Imports under this classification may be authorized beginning Dec. 27.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection will no longer accept copies of phytosanitary certificates and forms as of Jan. 1, it said. The agency had been accepting copies to ease burdens on importers of plant commodities during the COVID-19 pandemic, but will as of the new year only accept original phytosanitary certificates, APHIS said. APHIS also will still continue to accept electronic phytosanitary certificates shared government-to-government through the ePhyto system for participating countries, and “a paper certificate would not need to be presented for cargo clearance by U.S. officials if the certificate is an ePhyto with a proper declaration in the APHIS Core message set using the PG13/14 code AE1,” the agency said.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is amending its regulations on imports of sheep and goats to remove bovine spongiform encephalopathy-related import restrictions. The agency’s final rule, released Dec. 2, ends BSE restrictions on live sheep and goats and most sheep and goat products. APHIS said the restrictions were originally put in place prior to “extensive research” that shows sheep and goats “pose a minimal risk of spreading BSE.” At the same time, APHIS is updating its scrapie requirements for importing live sheep and goats and their germplasm, requiring that any live sheep or goats not transported directly to slaughter, or to a designated feedlot and then to slaughter, must originate from a scrapie-free country or flock with a herd certification program equivalent to the U.S. Scrapie Flock Certification Program. APHIS is also adding transmissible spongiform encephalopathy import restrictions for certain wild, zoological and other non-bovine ruminant species, and will allow imports of such species on a case-by-case basis. The final rule takes effect Jan. 3, 2022.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is proposing to amend its regulations on imports of equines, it said. Changes would include increasing the number of days horses exported from regions free from contagious equine metritis (CEM) are allowed to spend in CEM-affected regions before re-entering the U.S. without testing from 60 to 90 days, and new requirements for an import permit for horses transiting through CEM-affected regions. Comments are due Jan. 28.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will allow importation of mangoes from Colombia into the United States, it said in a notice released Nov. 19. Conditions include a hot water or irradiation treatment and inspections. Shipments must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate from the Colombian government. APHIS said imports of mangoes from Colombia may be authorized beginning Nov. 22.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is allowing imports of pummelo from Thailand, subject to certain conditions, it said. The citrus fruit will be subject to a systems approach that would include irradiation treatment, packinghouse processing requirements and port of entry inspections. It also has to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the Thai government. Pummelo from Thailand may be authorized for importation after Nov. 10, APHIS said.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service loosened conditions for imports of melons from Japan, it said in a notice released Nov. 5. The agency will allow imports of melons with stems into the entire U.S., it said. Previously, fresh melon fruit with stems was authorized for import only into Hawaii, and fresh cantaloupe and honeydew melons with stems were allowed to be imported only into Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands from certain Japanese regions. Imports may be authorized into all U.S ports beginning Nov. 8, APHIS said.